Summer 2012

Editorial Eye 83

Several recent issues of Eye have focused on type design, but this special puts the emphasis back on typography – the art and craft of working with what Gerrit Noordzij once called prefabricated letters. Paul Shaw and Abby Goldstein are on a mission to help designers and typographers understand scripts – the fastest growing sector in the market. ‘First and foremost,’ they say, ‘script typography is musical.’

John Morgan’s practice covers everything from identity to public art to website design, but typography lies at its core, as shown by the books and journals he designs. For Morgan, type creates atmosphere.
Massimo Vignelli’s typographic design is embedded in Modernist design history, yet often all we see are a few ‘iconic’ works at thumbnail size. Reputations gives us a chance to see his work at close quarters.
Finally, ‘Last things last’ is a refreshingly candid coda to the famous ‘First things first’ manifesto (see Eye 13), accompanied by some impeccable design and typography by its author, Ken Garland. JLW