by
Sebastian Carter
Since
its first publication in 1987, Twentieth Century Type Designers has
become a standard reference work for typographers, designers and
students alike. This new edition includes an examination of the latest
technological developments in the design and composition of type, and
introduces the work of some of the more recent designers to have made
their mark this century.
Although the skeleton shapes of the letters of our alphabet hardly
change, many skilled type designers have devoted much time, sometimes
their whole lives, to drawing different versions of the outlines. This
book serves as an introduction to the concept of typefaces and to some
of the personalities who have created them – Goudy, Rogers, Koch, Gill,
Morison, Van Krimpen, Trump, Tschichold, Frutiger, and Zapf – and
places them in the context of the enormous changes that have occurred
this century in the methods of creating and setting type.
A new generation of typographers working in the latter half of this
century, such as Matthew Carter, Sumner Stone and others, are now
profiled. Working with entirely different tools from their
predecessors, they reflect the new typography in varying degrees.
The introduction in the 1880s of the Linotype and Monotype hot-metal
composing machines, and in particular the Benton pantographic
punchcutter, revolutionized the manufacture of type, and caused a flood
of new typefaces. More recently, filmsetting and digital typesetting
have brought new opportunities – as well as new disciplines. This book
examines the conflicts arising from these technological advances, which
have pitted craftsmanship against commercial interests, and forced
designers to come to terms with the new creative opportunities.
Whatever motivates type designers – whether it is in the practical need
to create new faces for machines, the ideal of producing the perfect
letter-form for our age, or whether type is designed as an offshoot of
other artistic activities – their work has had a far-reaching impact on
our culture.
Sebastian Carter was born in 1941, and after working in London and
Paris, joined the well-known fine printing workshop the Rampant Lions
Press in Cambridge, which he now runs. He lectures widely on
typography, and writes regularly on the subject for Matrix and The
Times Literary Supplement.
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Graphic Design 
