Erik Spiekermann, one of the best-known graphic designers in the world, knows everything about type - and likes to talk and write about it. He shows that typography is an effective tool for anyone who has something to say and wants or needs to do it on paper or on screen. The out-of-print typography classic is now reissued and brought up to date in a revised and extended edition. In a brilliant common-sense style and on the basis of numerous application examples, the author covers everything newcomers and beginners need to know about typography. The content mediation is loosened up by anecdotes and wonderfully illustrated by metaphors from everyday life. He helps to understand how to look at type, work with it and choose the best typeface, with topics ranging from the origins of type, its effect, legibility and distinguishing features to web typography and variable fonts.