Reviewed by Fred Showker This past September I had the distinct pleasure to participate in the U.S. Department of Defense Printing and Publishing Divisions Conference. (Did you know that each of the armed forces has at least one glossy magazine they publish all over the world!) __ What made the event that much more pleasurable was working with Alex White, the moderator for the event. Alex conducted several of the break-out workshops on publication design and typography -- his closing session -- a critique of selected publications from the attendees, was superb. I had known Alex's father Jan through his powerful writings in the design community, like "The Graphic idea notebook" and "The Grid Book." __ What a thrill to work with Alex. I was very pleased when Alex's book "Type in Use" arrived in my mail box! (Perhaps it was a hint?) __ What better book than Type in Use to launch &Type! You've probably never heard of this book. I hadn't either, but I believe it's the best kept secret in the entire publication design field. Not only is the book outstanding for information, inspiration, tips and techniques, it's a joy to read. I can't seem to put it down. Some chapters I've read several times! (My thick skull, you know.) The lively writing suggests that I am actually listening to Alex give the talk himself. If you never get to see Alex at any of his appearances, you won't enjoy this aspect of the book -- but you'll still enjoy the book immensely. __ Let me say at this point that this review cannot possibly touch on all the good stuff in the book. I'm hoping that Alex will accept my invitation and become a regular contributor to the &Type! center. The sample pages shown on the next page are only representative. I had difficult time scanning and tweaking the shots of the pages for full web clarity (keeping the size under 20K!) -- so they can't even come close to the real thing. For this I apologize. I wish I could just reprint the entire book here for you! __ Type in Use is complete: from mapping to topic organization, through cover design, and right down to excellent, excellent typography technique. This is not like other books that just say what... Type in Use says WHY. In my opinion, the why is far more important than the what, because it's the why that leads to the understanding necessary to make the correct design decisions in the first place! Perhaps it's Alex's experience as a university level design professor. Alex's push for understanding works. I've seen it many times in my own workshops... the lights come on once people see why a design principle is true. __ Type in Use is a celebration in the processes involved in successfully forging typography into publication design. For instance, in chapter four, Alex zeros in on breakouts. I'll quote directly from the book: "Breakouts, also known as pull quotes, callouts or liftouts, should be thought of as verbal illustrations that draw the reader into a story. Editorially, they should be brief extracts of particularly provocative copy. Graphically they should be highly visible -- in strong contrast with their surroundings -- and able to easily attract the reader's eye." Then we're taken by hand, to clearly understand why, and how to successfully lure the reader into your text. An inspiring gallery of examples follows, gleaned from top-of-the-line publications from various industries... not just the pictures of their practical use, but fully narrated with what they were, how they were created, why they're successful, and how to do it yourself. This is mighty good stuff! And the book follows this format throughout; technique, examples, tutorial, and narrated/illustrated gallery, showcasing the work of nearly 300 of the world's top designers. Precious few books utilize this depth of investigation. __ Where some authors might show one or two examples, Alex shows a dozen! Furthermore, few writers can or do address the question why. If you look at another of my favorite books Photoshop 3 WOW (last year's "BEST BOOK" award from DT&G) you'll see a treasure trove of how-to tips for Photoshop. It's a wonderful book, but it does not show you why... only how. This is where polished, well educated, well traveled writers like Alex White really shine over many others who write for the industry. You will learn more from this book than some people know all together. Period. I've been cruising the nets doing research for the new &Type! wing of the Design Center, and I'm flabbergasted at some of the junk being spread by so-called or self-professed experts. (I mean have you ever heard of an "outdent"?) You wouldn't believe some of the crap people are publishing on web pages, then readers come along and take it for gospel. I'm not even going to mention URLs ... for fear that you'd go there and read the stuff. __ What you can do, is savor each morsel of Alex's writings in Type in Use -- and take that to the bank. Alex tells me there aren't many of these books left, and, he's not sure if there will be a reprint. So, I suggest that if you care about your use of type in publication design... if you want a genuine appreciation for typography... you'd better get Type in Use as soon as possible. I would hate to see you miss this opportunity. And, when you're in Hartford, you'll do yourself a grand favor by visiting the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford, where Alex is professor of graphic design -- there you'll discover one of the best kept secrets in the world of design. Type In Use by Alex White is out of print, but make sure you see our review in the Designers Bookshelf PS...we hope to see Alex in the pages of &Type! again very soon, and I'll bet that if you send him e-mail, it will help convince him that there are people who will want to hear what he has to say! This article was written 1995 by Fred Showker. Reproduction or reuse of parts or all of this manuscript without prior written permission is expressly forbidden.

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