Evolution of Typography Response

The books starts out with an interesting historical approach to typography.  While most books tend to give a written history of a subject,  the authors chose to make the history of it.  I appreciated the visual approach,  especially with my interest in Old World archaeology.  I also like that the authors did not just focus of Western European of typography,  but included African and Eastern cultures as part of the history.  In addition,  they didn’t just cite typography that is Roman type,  but also wide variety of other languages and countries.  It definitely made the chapter more enjoyable to read for me.  Their history was easier to digest by dividing the sections of time periods,  which is a common concept in text books.  Saul Bass was included in the mix;  he is also a big name in Experimental Animation, which is also my emphasis in school. I recognized a few of the bigger artists,  but most of them were new to me,  so it gave me exposure to a lot of different people.  I also appreciated that they included some post-modernist artists,  like Stefan Sagmeister,  which were a popular style that I gravitate to in the 1990s.  Another interesting twist to their history was they included architects as part of typography,  which I was not quite sure why.  Some examples of the architecture were the Parthenon, Guggenheim,  and the Brooklyn bridge.  They placed them for time references,  or just subtly showing how different design influences each other.  Regardless,  it made for an unique presentation of type design history which was fun to read.  My only complaint about the chapter is that only a caption dedicated to an artist, so it forced me do my own research.  I think they assume quite a bit of basic knowledge of typography and history by illustrating this style of history.  Although I preferred it, I can also see how some people would prefer a more traditional style if they do not have a background in typography.