Lessons in Typography: Must-know typographic principles presented through lessons, exercises, and examples

Jim Krause

Jun 2015 · New Riders

About this ebook

Get hands on with type in this lesson-based addition to Jim Krause’s popular new Creative Core series on design fundamentals. In Lessons in Typography, you’ll learn the basics of identifying, choosing, and using typefaces and immediately put that knowledge to work through a collection of exercises designed to deepen and expand your typographic skills.

After a crash course in type terminology, you’re encouraged to walk the talk with lessons and exercises on creating type-based logos, crafting personal emblems, choosing and using the right fonts for layouts, designing your own fonts, fine-tuning text like a professional, hand lettering, and more. Krause uses practical advice, humor, and page after page of visual examples to give you a complete education in designing with type that you can read in a matter of hours and continue to learn from over the course of your career.

In Lessons in Typography, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify and discuss fonts like a design professional
• Choose and combine fonts effectively for use in your projects and layouts
• Create monograms and logos using existing typefaces and custom-built letterforms
• Modify fonts to meet your design’s specific needs
• Space letters properly using tracking, kerning, and leading and create eye-pleasing layouts

Lessons in Typography is the third book in the New Riders Creative Core series, which provides instruction on the fundamental concepts and techniques that all designers must master to become skilled professionals. Additional titles in the series include Visual Design and Color for Designers.

Ratings and reviews

I don't want to hurt the author's feeling, but I feel that the book is very basic. The content needs some revisions. For instance, the author uses the term "legibility" and "readability" interchangeably. Actually the terms are not the same so more research should be done before writing the book.

Let me get over this hard subject. This basic typed of typing letters which was introduced by most desk - secretarian working on Office Records.

About the author

Jim Krause has worked as a designer and illustrator since 1982. His clients have included Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Schools, Washington Apples, and dozens of others. His first book, Idea Index, was published in 1999 and immediately became the best-selling art/design-related title at HOW Books. Krause is the creator and author of the New Riders Creative Core series, which includes Visual Design: Ninety-five things you need to know. Told in Helvetica and Dingbats and Color for Designers: Ninety-five things you need to know when choosing and using colors for layouts and illustrations. Krause lives and works in Bellingham, Washington.