Due for publication 26th June 2025

With the advent of the twentieth century came many developments in printing technology which impacted the world of typeface. Early twentieth century saw elite artisans hand crafting metal letters, though when the manufacture of type became automated the type creation process encountered less constraints. It was the Second World War which radically changed type, with phototypesetting technology allowing for opportunities of digitisation.

Alongside this background story of technological evolution, Type Designers of the Twentieth Century describes the achievements (and occasional failures) of thirty-seven key type designers to explore the evolution of the designer, the rise of the advertising agency and the changing function of the printer. The working methods of each designer, the typefaces they designed and their lasting influence are described in detail.

Here you will find Frederic Goudy and Edward Johnston, Stanley Morison and Roger Excoffon, Hermann Zapf and Adrian Frutiger, renowned contemporary designers such as Neville
Brody and Carol Twombly, and many more. Taken together, the work and working lives of these extraordinary designers chart the radical changes that have taken place in typography during the twentieth century.

David Jury is a writer, designer, printer and historian of type, typography and graphic design.

• Hardback
• 416 pages, 245 x 190 mm
• ISBN9781851245819
• Publication June 2025