Typography Sketchbooks, by Steven Heller and Lita Talarico, compiles the typography work and process of different designers, illustrators, and letterers. Over 100 artists contributed their sketchbooks and behind-the-scene work. With just letters in common, the work is so varied, from ink on paper, to wooden letterpress type, to 3-dimensional type. It’s amazing to see more traditional process side by side with more expressive, illustrative work. Highlights for me include the written musings of Maira Kalman, the painted words of Leanne Shapton, and Tom Schamp’s animal-shaped letters.

© Julia Rothman 2007