Logo, Font & Lettering Bible [Hardcover]

Leslie Cabarga (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

This book is a hands-on guide to the entire process of making logos and fonts and even icons, all of which, essentially, start with the ability to draw letterforms. The intent of the book, in fact, is to enable the user to end reliance on "OPF" (other people's fonts) and learn to draw your own custom logos, fonts and lettering! There are many books on the market that simply display collections of logos and fonts, and that give the history of logos and fonts. But Logo, Font & Lettering Bible is unique in that it teaches you how to create logos and fonts from scratch using traditional tools as well as the computer programs Adobe Illustrator and Fontographer (plus a bit about FontLab). The book provides all the traditional rules and tips about letter formation relating to proportion, shaping, balance, spacing, composition and actually teaches five different methods of drawing letters on computer using bezier curves. There has never been a book like this one that goes into so much detail about drawing letters and takes such a fun and irreverent approach while doing so. The book is also full of inspiration and analysis of tons of great examples of vintage and current lettering from old manuscripts to graffiti. Logo, Font & Lettering Bible also shows you how to create fancy drop shadows and other type effects. And finally, the last section provides straight talk on the business of being a logo and font designer, from advertising your work and pricing to dealing with difficult clients (aren't they all?).

This book has been almost unanimously acclaimed by professional letterers, logo designers and font creators, both young and old. It is currently in use as a text in many typography programs and several Design college educators have stated it is one of the few texts that "students are actually happy about having to purchase."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leslie Cabarga has been an illustrator, graphic designer and font designer since 1975. He has authored over two dozen books on design including The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations, The Designer's Guide to Global Color Combinations and Learn FontLab Fast. As an illustrator he's drawn covers for Time, Newsweek, Fortune and National Lampoon. He has designed numerous fonts, such as Magneto, Streamline, Raceway and the Love and Peace family of psychedelic fonts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: How Design Books; First edition. edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581804369
• ISBN-13: 978-1581804362
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media

More About the Author

For most of his life, Leslie Cabarga considered himself not so much a writer but as an illustrator and graphic designer. Yet his very first book, The Fleischer Story (a history of the Max Fleischer animation studio) was published when he was 19 years old, several years before he would become one of the most popular illustrators in New York. Leslie went on to write and/or edit over 40 books, ranging from clip art collections for Dover publications to the ever popular Logo, Font & Lettering Bible, the only manual showing how to create lettering from scratch in the digital age. But he also produced the channeled book, "Talks with Trees," which has been gaining popularity over the past 10 years. Leslie likes to take subjects (such as the Max Fleischer cartoons, and lettering and font creation) and produce the "last word" on each subject. As he says, "It's mostly just to get these topics out of my system so I can move on." And move on he has! As amazon reader reviews of his Lettering "Bible" attest, the humor throughout the instructional text is part of what makes this book so enjoyable. "So I decided to move away from design topics and go for the humor--along with a bit of forward-looking social commentary," Leslie says. The result is the recently-published "We Hold These Truths," the story of what happens when a Truth Bomb drops on the world and people everywhere are compelled to live their truths. The book is as profoundly compelling as it is amusing. Like the book "Trees," We Hold These Truths is a channeled book that Leslie first began "receiving" more than 15 years ago. The contrast between design and spirit channeling is not so far apart, for as Leslie says, "Artists are seekers of truth. We are always questioning ourselves--why should it be this way rather than that? Where is the truth in this statement? The best artists are often those who willingly subject themselves to the most unmerciful critiques of their own creations." And," he says, "my body of work in the graphics field shows that there's nothing airy-fairy about us channelers. Actually, I'm a very down-to-earth guy." Indeed, Leslie tells us he's got another dozen or so books in planning stages on subjects ranging from health and nutrition to human sexuality. Which brings up Leslie's latest book, "Topless Summer Love Girls; A Gentleman's Guide to Women, Relationships & Breasts." It is a book that looks seriously tat men's issues while at the same time satirizing men's obsessions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Wonderful Type Book, March 31, 2004

By 

David Bricker "Author & Designer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logo, Font & Lettering Bible (Hardcover)

I'm a typography nut and a college design instructor. I love older, more traditional approaches to typography and am always wary of many newer books that think of type as the simple digital byproduct of computer keystrokes. Here's a book that makes the important connection between real typography and the digital world.

Once you get past the awful cover of this otherwise incredible book, you'll find an exploration of type and letterforms that draws from history and explores numerous aspects of type in a whimsical and entertaining way. This is one of those rare books that lets the design talk about design and shows good and bad examples as well as successful rule-breaking. The tone is light and entertaining, and the author doesn't prattle on with formal, intellectual approaches.

The book covers how to see type, how to work with type, how to create type, what is (and isn't) a logo, and also shares works by great typographers like Michael Doret and others.

While typography is not on everyone's list of most entertaining subjects, this book is as fun as it is educational. I'm recommending it to all my students at the Art Institute and can't see how any designer would fail to both enjoy it and benefit from it. If you buy one type book, this is the one.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars and more..., June 28, 2004

By 

Fred Showker "DTG Magazine" (The Design Bookshelf) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logo, Font & Lettering Bible (Hardcover)

I predict the Logo Font & Lettering Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Design, Construction and Usage of Alphabets and Symbols by Leslie Cabarga will become a classic for the graphic artist, designer and signer.

The publisher is hyping this book as a Logo book. Their pitch says: "This book-a hands-on guide to the entire logo-making process-combines an enjoyable visual approach with extensive, industry-tested information." And all that's true. However I wonder if the writers for How Design Books have ever done lettering or desinged a logo. I don't think so by the level of excitement in their releases.

No, this is not all together about just logos, fonts and lettering; this is about the very soul of an art, a design discipline, and a fine craft. This is about the way creative people think and react to visual stimuli. This is about the most visually exciting and inspiring book for graphic designers to come along in long, long time. In fact, I cannot remember any that really come close.

BRAVO, Leslie, my JMU Typography students will LOVE this one -- and I know it's one they'll really use just because it's so much fun!

If you don't buy this book, you'll be missing something very important.

Fred Showker, Design-Bookshelf.com

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work, April 6, 2004

By 

K. Ross "kross3040" (North Aurora, Il United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logo, Font & Lettering Bible (Hardcover)

I normally don't buy many books dealing with art but the title caught my eye. This book is excellent. I've been a typographer and letterer for over half my life and I wish I had something like this 20 years ago. It covers many aspects of good logo design as well as using and modifying a font for a design. In my opinion the best part is when Mr. Cabarga goes into some detail about designing and creating your own font. This is an idea that I have been toying with for sometime and now that I have read this book I have a lot of ideas on how to get started. I couldn't recommend this book enough.