Letterform Archive Books – serie

An unprecedented, definitive look at the school’s typography and print design, from its early expressive tendencies to the functional modernism for which it is famed todayThe Bauhaus looms large as one of the most influential legacies in 20th-century graphic design. Known for its bold sans-serif typefaces, crisp asymmetrical grids and clean use of negative space, the school emerged as the forebearer of a new look—one that seized the tools of mass production in the creation of a radical new art. Today, just over 100 years after the Bauhaus’s opening in 1919, the school’s visual hallmarks have come to define modernity as it appears on the printed page.The official catalog for Letterform Archive’s inaugural gallery exhibition, Bauhaus Typography at 100 explores the school’s legacy in graphic and typographic design through artifacts of its own making—its books, magazines, course materials, product catalogs, stationery, promotional fliers and other ephemera.From the book’s beautifully designed pages, readers learn of typographic masters László Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt, who channeled Constructivism’s geometric forms and optimism for industry into printed vehicles for the school’s teachings. Here is where Bauhaus typography—its rejection of serifs and capitals, embrace of experimental alphabets, insistence on universal clarity, and innovation in layering and hierarchy—took its distinctive shape.The catalog also shines light on the Bauhaus’s lesser-known early forays into expressive lettering and illustration, also tracing the school’s immediate impact on seminal design movements such as the New Typography and, of course, on design practitioners working today. Lavishly illustrated, carefully researched and written, and accompanied by an in-depth introduction from noted Bauhaus expert, author and curator Ellen Lupton, Bauhaus Typography at 100 is a must-have for any fan of modern design.

“A book to spend a year with … Dwiggins did more to promote, diversify, and integrate the graphic, typographic, and printing-arts disciplines than anyone of his generation.” —Steven Heller, design historianOften credited with inventing the term “graphic design,” W.A. Dwiggins was a quintessential maker—fabricating his own tools and experimenting with design in areas as wide-ranging as stamps, currency, books, kites, marionettes, theatrical sets and lighting. While he began his career in advertising, Dwiggins became a book designer. He also created several typefaces including Electra and Caledonia, which are still used in publishing today. More than any of his contemporaries, Dwiggins united the full range of applied arts into a single profession: designer. Despite this feat, a thorough study of this revolutionary figure has never been published widely in the trade—until now.At nearly 500 pages and with over 1,000 color illustrations, W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design offers an engaging overview of the designer’s wide-ranging creative output and lasting impact on the graphic arts. Filled with colorful book covers and intricate stencil designs, W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design is a worthy testament to Dwiggins’ consistent innovation. Designer and author Bruce Kennett’s careful research, warm prose and inclusion of personal accounts from Dwiggins’ friends portray not only a brilliant designer but a truly likable character.W.A. Dwiggins (1880–1956) studied printing and typography under Frederic Goudy in Chicago. He designed four widely used Linotype faces: Caledonia, Eldorado, Electra and Metro. As a book designer for Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., he designed 329 books, of which 17 were honored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

A powerful new exploration of the uses of lettering, type and design to amplify resistance and inspire change—from 19th-century antislavery broadsides to the “Silence = Death” graphics of the AIDS epidemic and the handmade signs of the Black Lives Matter movementOrganized into chapters that explore the many ways to express dissent (RESIST!, VOTE!, STRIKE!, TEACH! and LOVE!), Strikethrough presents more than 120 signs, posters, publications and ephemera in vivid imagery and incisive prose. From the colorful affiches of the Paris ’68 uprising to Memphis strike workers’ placards to the Black Panthers’ newspaper, this generously illustrated volume showcases the role of graphic design in a wide range of protest movements in the United States and abroad. Including selections from artists and art collectives such as Jenny Holzer, the Guerrilla Girls and Fierce Pussy, this book provides a broad and critical survey of the typographics of activism. Strikethrough also features 10 profiles on the designers behind the graphics—including Corita Kent, Emory Douglas and Ben Shahn—and a custom display typeface based on historical protest graphics by Tré Seals, plus an introduction by activist and design scholar Colette Gaiter and an essay on type by Stephen Coles.Charting a typographic chant of resistance that spans more than 150 years, Strikethrough curators Silas Munro and Stephen Coles reveal how the message makes its way to the masses via marker, screen print, spray paint, collage and both physical and digital type, and how it calls on us all to craft our own demands for social change.Artists and designers include: Atelier Populaire, See Red Women’s Workshop, Carlos Cortez, Emory Douglas, fierce pussy, Ganzeer, Milton Glaser, Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer, Corita Kent, Aaron Douglas, Art Workers’ Coalition, OSPAAAL, Tibor Kalman, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., Herb Lubalin, Phase 2, Favianna Rodriguez, Ward Schumaker, Ben Shahn and Wes Wilson.

A landmark of graphic modernism, the Vienna Secession’s magazine is brought to life in a complete facsimile reprint with new essays and translationsThe brainchild of Koloman Moser, Alfred Roller, Josef Hoffmann, Bertold Loffler and others—the leading graphic artists of the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte—Die Fläche (German for The Surface) laid out an extraordinary group vision for design through adventurous work by these designer-professors and more than 100 of their students. Packed with bold ideas for posters, advertisements, book covers, woodcut prints and much more, the result is an inexhaustibly rich sourcebook of graphic forms, modern ideas and technical experiments, all reflecting a reorientation in design practice and teaching that would resonate around the world.This full-size facsimile of all 14 issues of Die Fläche lets readers experience this rare gem as it was meant to be seen, while new essays and translations explore its significance.Die Fläche is the first volume in Letterform Archive’s facsimile series, which presents landmarks of print and design history with exacting reproductions and new essays that provide rich context and fresh insights.

A revelatory, beautifully produced compendium of the influential Japanese commercial design journal, with posters, billboards, shop window displays and moreFrom 1928 to 1930, Tokyo publisher Ars issued The Complete Commercial Artist: a fully illustrated journal of commercial design for both commercial retail spaces and print design. Featuring countless original designs, its 24 volumes were dedicated to topics ranging from posters, packaging, flyers, page layout and typography to neon signage, billboards and shop window displays. Under the guidance of lead editor and writer Hamada Masuji, a passionate advocate for commercial design, the publication became the most important—and visually dazzling—document of Japanese design in its time.This generous volume from Letterform Archive Books shares hundreds of exuberant and whimsical pages from all 24 volumes of the now-rare publication. An extensive historical essay and volume-by-volume walk-throughs by art historian Gennifer Weisenfeld introduce readers to the magazine's creators and offer analyses of their use of illustration, photography, typography and lettering, highlighting both Japanese and European influences as new forms of media sparked a global dialogue.Presented for the first time to an English audience, The Complete Commercial Artist: Making Modern Design in Japan 1928–1930 takes readers on an eye-opening tour of interwar Japan's vibrant visual culture.

Typographic treats in the form of perforated pull-out postcards including works by design giants Saul Bass, Seymour Chwast and Takenobu IgarashiSan Francisco museum Letterform Archive boasts a curated collection of over 100,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy and graphic design that spans the history of the written and printed word. Letter Love shares the collection with a full alphabet sourced from across its holdings, plus 10 numerals and four punctuation marks. Each postcard features a scene-stealing character by design favorites including Saul Bass, Seymour Chwast, Hansje van Halem, Imre Reiner, Jean Midolle, Takenobu Igarashi and Hermann Zapf. Printed with metallic ink and presented in a unique perforated booklet, the postcards tear off to reveal an illustrated catalog that shares reproductions and details about the art. Both delightful and practical, Letter Love makes an ideal gift for design and lettering enthusiasts.Artists and designers include: Vincent de Boer, Armin Haab, Peter Malutzki, Hans Donner, Sylvia Trenker, Julien Priez, Angel de Cora, Tauba Auerbach, Maurice Dufrène, Tezzo Suzuki, Kuwayama Yasaburo, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, James Edmondson, Ross F. George, Roger Excoffon.

An immersive look inside 12 colorful alphabet albums used by 19th- and early 20th-century French sign painters Beginning in the 19th century, sign painters adorned the streets and storefronts of French cities with eye-catching letters in styles ranging from the elegant to the eccentric. Large chromolithographic portfolios supplied these artisans with an array of dazzling model alphabets for use as inspiration, teaching aids and shows of technical skill. Lettres Décoratives offers a definitive collection of plates from these portfolios originally published from the mid-1800s through the 1930s.More than 150 large-scale reproductions of stunning alphabets, most reproduced for the first time ever, provide a wealth of inspiration and insight into sign painting styles and techniques. An extensively researched historical essay by expert sign painter and author Morgane Côme tells the fascinating story of French sign painting and explores the significance of its chromolithographic alphabet albums. Sumptuously designed for Letterform Archive by the French studio Violaine & Jérémy, the book features an impressive format (useful for aspiring sign painters) and original cover art. Complete with a selection of rarely seen historical photography of shop signs in 19th-century Paris, this volume constructs a rich panorama of the age of la peinture en lettres.

Hi-energy, lo-fi and ultra-rare: gems of zine design from the graffiti undergroundThis book, Subscription to Mischief, collects 36 iconic graffiti zines—such as Skills, IGTimes, Can Control, Graphic Scenes & Xplicit Language, Hole in the Ozone, Twelve Ounce Prophet, Hip Hop Tribe, While You Were Sleeping and Futureretroistic—into one indispensable volume that shows how graffiti made the jump from the wall to the printed page.In the 1980s, as subway workers scrubbed a generation's worth of masterpieces from New York City trains, practitioners and enthusiasts came together to create an explosion in independent media. Fueled by a photo trade that documented the burners, throw ups and tags of every major metro area, the graffiti zines of the 1990s helped solidify one of the 20th century's most vital art forms. Subscription to Mischief includes an introduction by Skills creator Greg Lamarche (Sp.One), along with an overview of styles by graffiti ambassador Dave Villorente (Chino BYI) and a foreword by filmmaker and chronicler of the movement, Sacha Jenkins.