Dan X. Solo Knihy

The author of many books on typography, Dan X. Solo is also the proprietor of his own typography shop in Oakland, California — an establishment dedicated to unusual typography and special effects. This comprehensive catalog offers graphic designers a dazzling selection of over 4,000 typefaces and optical effects available from Solotype Typographers. Here, in Solo's words, is "a great cast of characters" — the alphabet — abetted by a cornucopia of typographical ideas and an endless resource of letters, words, phrases, slogans, logos, humorous comments, headlines, and graphic symbols. Individual sections of the book display a rich variety of typefaces in categories such as Condensed, Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Rustic, Thick-and-tin, Calligraphic, Uncials, Latins, and Blackletter. Samples are imaginatively presented. "Stagecoach," for example, is printed in Fargo typeface, evoking dusty trails, rawhide, and ten-gallon hats, while "Sizzling summer savings" appears appropriately in the flamboyant Firebug typeface. All typefaces are indexed for quick and easy reference. As entertaining as it is practical and useful, this impressive treasury of versatile typefaces and optical effects will be indispensable to busy commercial artists as an inexhaustible source of typographic ideas and a "swipe file" of words, phrases, and letters for use in graphic art projects.

The turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts movement revitalized typography, particularly through typographical ornamentation, a tradition among early printers that re-emerged in avant-garde design. Leading American and European printers produced catalogs of original Art Nouveau ornaments, now preserved in archives. This collection features authentic Art Nouveau typographic ornaments from late 19th and early 20th-century specimen catalogs, showcasing over 800 diverse designs. These include patented florals and flowing botanical motifs, both realistic and abstract, alongside women in draped robes forming borders and decorative elements. A variety of animals—fish, elephants, turtles, birds, and mythical creatures—are also represented. The collection features numerous spots, shapes, symbols, emblems, wreaths, scrolls, cherubs, and gargoyles, all illustrated in clear black and white, ideal for enhancing menus, posters, handbills, ads, and any artistic project seeking an Art Nouveau touch. Printers can complement their Art Nouveau-style typefaces, such as Auriol, Baldur, Cordova, and Metropolitan, with these unique, long-forgotten ornaments. Many designs include mirror images for added utility, and all images are sourced from original, copyright-free materials.

Choose from 100 high-impact, royalty-free fonts in roman, italic, and cursive scripts. A tremendous variety of densities and styles offer numerous options for creating exactly the right look, from elegant Adastra Royal to commanding Elvira Bold Italic. Almost all come with uppercase and lowercase alphabets, and many contain vignettes and punctuation marks.