Let’s talk about a book that graphic designers praise for being the holy grail book about typography and I can confidently say that it did feel that way.

If you read my first book review about grid systems then you know this is the second book that I got with it and I think it handles its subject matter better than the first book.

Summary

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton is a book all about typography, it has three sections: letters, text, and grids and it’s filled with great references and instructions on how and why they are used, from kerning to modular grids.

Ellen Lupton is a writer, designer, and educator. She has written over 80 books that mainly focus on graphic design. Her writing style is clear, informative, and easy to read.

Typography history

As a person who loves learning the history of the topics that interest me, the book’s introduction was perfect for me, talking about typography and the revolutionary effects that the Gutenberg press had.

The fact that old letterpress printing shops stored capital letters above the minuscule letters, hence the terms uppercase and lowercase. This tidbit of information alone gave me a better understanding of how much history type has gone through.

Type crimes

The book includes Type crimes which are little dos and don’ts in typography, they were one of my favorite things because I would find some of my own dumb mistakes that I have made.

Book editions

I read the 2nd revised and expanded edition so there is more of everything, that’s about 48 pages more content than the first edition, and the third edition will be released in 2024.

If you’re considering getting this book, I’d recommend waiting for the third edition. It’s going to be packed with even more useful information, not that it needs it, but it’s still a plus in my book, pun intended.

Who would I recommend it

This is a great book for anyone interested in type, every graphic designer, writer or editor will find something new and useful in this book to elevate their skills.

Back cover of the book

Conclusion

Typography is simple to learn but hard to master and this book will give you the right tools to at least be on the right path to mastering this craft.

If I need to pick where the book could be lacking on the UX/UI part, there could be more content and information on this topic, but maybe it will be touched in the third edition.

This book on design is one of my favorites at the moment. I’m excited to read more of Ellen Lupton’s works.

Written by Konstantinas Ladauskas