Theory of Type Design is the first complete and accessible theory of typography by internationally renowned Dutch typographer Gerard Unger — spanning 24 chapters that move from cuneiform script to digital letterforms, grounding the discipline in how eyes and brain actually process text.
About This Book
Letters are among the most pervasive of all designed objects, and yet the field that shapes them has rarely been subjected to systematic theoretical treatment. Unger's Theory of Type Design corrects that absence: it is a wide-ranging, reflective account of how letterforms are made and how they make meaning. Structured across 24 concise chapters, the book moves between the practical — spacing, rhythm, legibility, size, italics — and the harder-to-quantify, such as personality and preference. The history of typography is traced from cuneiform through to Wim Crouwel's New Alphabet and contemporary digital type, always in relation to the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms through which readers decode text. An essential reference for graphic designers, typographers, and serious students of visual communication.
Key Features
- 240 pages of theoretical analysis and practical examples, illuminated by more than 200 illustrations
- Written by Gerard Unger, internationally renowned Dutch graphic designer and typographer
- Case studies spanning cuneiform script, Wim Crouwel's New Alphabet, and contemporary digital type development
- Extensive glossary defining key terminology and concepts in type design
- Published by Nai010, ISBN: 9789462084407
What You'll Discover
- How human visual perception and cognitive processing shape the way letterforms must be designed to function as readable text
- The full historical arc of typography — from ancient cuneiform to digital type — examined as a continuous design evolution rather than a sequence of isolated movements
- The relationship between measurable, practical concerns (spacing, rhythm, legibility, size) and the less tangible dimensions of type design (personality, preference, cultural resonance)
- A critical framework for understanding why letterforms look the way they do, and how designers can make informed, reflective decisions about type
About the Author
Gerard Unger (born 1942) was an internationally renowned Dutch graphic designer and typographer. He is recognised as one of the leading figures in the field of type design, with a career spanning decades of practice and scholarship at the intersection of typography, visual communication, and design history.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 240
- Dimensions: 16.51 x 2.29 x 24.13 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9789462084407
- Publisher: Nai010
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Graphic design students and practitioners, typographers, visual communication academics, and anyone seeking a systematic theoretical grounding in the principles and history of type design.