Lectori Salutem
This site is made to support students and teachers that use the book Letter Fountain, published by Taschen GmbH (www.taschen.com). In this site a small part of Letter Fountain is presented. In the menu-item Extras a list of downloadable items are given such as timelines, exercises for students and the bibliography from Letter Fountain to read further. The part of Letter Fountain that shows more than 150 typefaces as type specimens that makes it easier to choose an appropriate font for the job is not included in this site. The 144 pages functional indices, the beautiful historical index of type companies and the glossary are not on this site because they serve their role only in the book itself.
Leaf through Letter Fountain
Before about 1990, a book like Letter Fountain would have been aimed at the professional community of typesetters, publishers, typographers, graphic designers and advertising agencies; but times change. According to the cover of Dutch designer Mieke Gerritzen’s manifesto, ‘Everyone is a designer’; anyone who wants to can write, set, turn their hand to layout or graphic design and even design typefaces. So obviously, the avid computer user will do so. The consequence: an avalanche of printed material that is aesthetically and technically of a dubious quality. Fortunately, this proliferation has gradually subsided. Just as truly beautiful renovations remain the province of the real craftsman, despite the surge in DIY, so it is with legibility and good typography; they will only be achieved by applying the knowledge that has been built up over the past five hundred years. Therefore, this heavily revised edition is not only useful for professionals, but also for a new group of people interested in typography and typefaces.
Leaf through Letter Fountain
Before about 1990, a book like Letter Fountain would have been aimed at the professional community of typesetters, publishers, typographers, graphic designers and advertising agencies; but times change. According to the cover of Dutch designer Mieke Gerritzen’s manifesto, ‘Everyone is a designer’; anyone who wants to can write, set, turn their hand to layout or graphic design and even design typefaces. So obviously, the avid computer user will do so. The consequence: an avalanche of printed material that is aesthetically and technically of a dubious quality. Fortunately, this proliferation has gradually subsided. Just as truly beautiful renovations remain the province of the real craftsman, despite the surge in DIY, so it is with legibility and good typography; they will only be achieved by applying the knowledge that has been built up over the past five hundred years. Therefore, this heavily revised edition is not only useful for professionals, but also for a new group of people interested in typography and typefaces.