Walter Tracy’s Letters of Credit is insightful and opinionated. His knowledge on the aspects of type design (measure, legibility, readability and letter forms) is informative and his criticism of designers and their types makes the book engaging.
Emil Ruder’s Typographie is a classic reference that is still relevant today. It’s a quick read with tons of visual examples.
Ironically I just finished a course on professional design practices that taught me most of the skills Phil Cleaver wrote in his new book titled What They Didn’t Teach You in Design School. Similar to the topics in the book, we worked on our resume, business card, leave behind, video resume and portfolio. We discussed extensively on job interview, freelance and presentational skills. This book would have been a perfect companion for that class. Prof. Phil has some good tips on typography and responsive web design. What makes the book stood out is the design of the book itself. The typesetting is beautiful and the typographic puns are a visual pleasure. I am definitely recommending it to the teacher to be used for his next class, but this is also a great guide for graduating students looking to get their foot in the door.
Even though Mitchell and Wightman’s comprehensive manual focuses on book typography, many principles could be applied to any form of typesetting. From leading to spacing to massaging, this book delves into great details with clear visual examples to demonstrate the subtlety of good design. The book itself is a beautiful design with the main text set in Albertina. If you’re designer who cares about readability, Book Typography is a must-have as a reference.
From Blackletter to Comic Sans to Ubuntu, Walters’s stories on Fifty Typefaces That Changed the World are concise and compelling. The visual examples also make it a great coffee table book.
As a Miles freak, I spent time not only listening to his music, but also reading every book on Miles I could get my hand on. Miles is probably one of the jazz geniuses that got the most ink. So here’s the list that I have read and loved. If you’re into Miles, you might want to check out some of them.
While there are a handful of books on Miles’s life, Szwed’s is one of the most well-researched and thoughtful biography. Highly recommended if you want to read about the trumpeter’s story.
Cook uses Miles’s albums to write about his music and life. It’s a fascinating read.
Miles’s autobiography is simply hilarious. The book is filled profanity and braggadocio.
Cole spent almost 450 pages covering every track from The Man With The Horn all the way up to Doo-Bop. A critical read on Miles’s late records.
Tingen’s insightful read on Miles Davis’s electric journey from 1967-1991.
Freeman’s detailed analysis of the Prince of Darkness’s fusion albums including Bitches Brew, On the Corner and Doo-Bop.
Williams’s close study of Miles Davis’s monumental record and the music that record after.
Griffin and Washington’s draws an enlightening comparison between the musical innovation of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
Kahn documented the recording sessions of one of the most influential jazz albums.
This is not a book on Miles, but Tate’s pieces on Electric Miles are must read.
Unlike Thirsty, Kristin Bair O’Keeffe’s dark, disturbing, straightforward debut, The Art of Floating is poignant, witty and unconventional. Like Tarantino’s nonlinear art direction, the stories unfolds in an imaginative, interrupted flow. The novel has 171 chapters. A long chapter could be a few pages and a short chapter could be a sentence. In other word, Bair O’Keeffe’s idiosyncratic approach should be noted for creative writing and fictional storytelling. In addition, one of her gifted skills were the ability to pen erotic scenes so damn well and hilarious too (check chapter 90). As hinted through the main character Sia, Bair O’Keeffe is conscious of the sophomore slump, but The Art of Floating reassured that the novelist has stepped up her game.
Evans and Thomas’s comprehensive textbook explains the core principles of design. In addition to learning the basics of typography, color and imagery, the book touched upon design management, research and portfolio presentation. Definitely a must-read for anyone who is starting out with graphic design even if you’re not a student.
David Jury answers the question in three parts: The role of typography, its characteristics and professional examples. The handbook is a gentle intro to typography. Without delving too much into technical details, it’s a quick, easy read for people who are curious about the subject.
In the past few days, I immersed myself into the life of Miles Davis through the pen of John Szwed. I read from 10 pm (when the kids went to bed) until 1:30 in the morning, went to sleep with Miles in my head, and then got up at 5 am to read some more. Even though I have read a numerous books on Miles including his autobiography, I find Szwed’s So What enlightening. Most of Miles stories have been told before, but Szwed made some corrections through his extensive research and interviews of Miles’s family members. Once again, I lost count of how many women Miles had slept and slapped, but the way that he treated Frances Taylor, in particular, as told in this book is quite appalling.
Although Szwed claims in the introduction that this book is not a musical study, he had done anexcellent job of briefly discussing Miles’s albums from Birth of the Cool to Doo-Bop. If you want more in-depth studies of Miles’s music, however, make sure to pick up Richard Cook’s It’s About That Time: Miles Davis On and Off Record after finish reading this book.