Design with Type

Takes the reader through a study of typography that starts with the individual letter and proceeds through the word, the line, and the mass of text along with their application to the typography of books, advertising, magazines, and information data.

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Design with Type was first published in 1952 and appeared in this multi–award-winning revised edition in 1967, which was the first Canadian work to be named Book of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Its author, Carl Dair (1912–1967) was one of Canada’s best-known and most celebrated type compositors and designers.


Discussing type as a design material as well as a means of communication, Dair argued that if type is understood in terms of design, the user of type will be better able to work with it to achieve maximum clarity and aesthetic pleasure. He guides the reader through a study of typography that starts with the examination of an individual letter and proceeds with words, lines, and masses of text.


Dair details the main design elements of type – size, weight, structure, form, colour, direction, and texture – and illustrates the applications of typography in books, advertising, magazines, and other printed forms. The various schools of typography are discussed and the book includes over 150 examples of imaginative typography from around the world.


Design with Type is a classic work in a field of design that continues to flourish. Dair’s influence on subsequent typographers and designers of print media is considerable and deserving of further study.