CONTENT
The book itself is a guide to typography. Informing the reader about type and how to use it. Spikermann's views in the book are solid and he preaches that this is how type should be used. The book describes its aim - "To clarify the language of typography for people who want to communicate more effectively with type". It appears to be aimed at aspiring and existing graphic designers as well as 'typomaniacs' as Spiekermann describes himself. The book appears to be theoretical, however its tone of voice is relaxed; the language with in the book is informative yet laid back. Post-modernism is promoted in the book, such as in its explanations of communicating emotion through typographic forms as well as its strong beliefs that "There is no bad type". Although, elements of the page layout still has a hint of modernist style, such as the chapter title pages containing a simple heading and explanation in a readable typeface. All the content is readable, this is not always the case with post-modern graphic design. The book was described by others as "modern typographic thinking".
The book explains where the title Stealing Sheep comes from :
"In 1936, Frederic Goudy was in NYC to receive an award for excellence in type design. Upon accepting a certificate, he took one look at it and declared 'Anyone who would letter space black letter would steal sheep'. This was an uncomfortable moment for the man sitting in the audience who had hand lettered the award certificate. Mr. Goudy later apologised profusely, claiming that he said that about everything."
ERIK SPIEKERMANN
Spiekermann is a recognised German typographer and designer. He is an international leader in graphic design. He also founded the multidisciplinary design consultancy MetaDesign. His main passion appears to be type and letter press. He also founded Font Shop and has created many typefaces that can be purchased on the website. His work seems to be unusually hard to find but with the work that I did find I was most interested by the contrast in modern and post modern style. His work seems to be a battle between the two. However, there is no rule that you should design in one style or the other - I like this creative freedom that Spikermann seems to promote.
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| I am very drawn to the colour palette used for this type specimen. The grey and orange compliment each other well. |
E.M GINGER
Ginger is a writer and editor who works with type and typography. She was the editor of the journal Fine Print, as well as being the editor of many best selling cookbooks. She currently works as a typographic consultant and freelance writer in San Francisco.
METADESIGN
Upon first glance, Metadesigns website doesn't appear to be a design service as there are not many visual clues that suggest design other than a small heading at the base of the page. The images used seem don't clearly illustrate designs by the company. The company itself appears very professional, offering a wide range of services, working across the globe. Spiekermanns postmodern style is not clear in the website as all of the information appears neatly organised in a grid with a safe sans serif typeface organised in a readable fashion. The company sticks to a red, grey and white colour scheme. The red is emphasised by the white and grey tones. Red is certainly eye catching and I assume that this was chosen to make the logo stand out from the crowd, whilst keeping the website theme consistent with this.
The design on the website which caught my eye most was the 23andme branding. I was drawn to the bright colours and simple shapes. I feel this design is effective and communicates the message of the company well. The bold and appealing look would certainly attract customers to use their services.
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