Type Idea Index: The Designer's Ultimate Tool for Choosing and Using Fonts Creatively [Vinyl Bound]

Jim Krause (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2006

Type Idea Index is a tool?an idea-generating, horizon-expanding, knowledge-broadening power-tool that can be used to boost the creative output of designers, illustrators and anyone else who uses type.



The basic principle behind Type Idea Index is simple: ideas breed ideas. If you are looking for new ways of employing type in your works of art and design (or new twists to apply to your current typographic techniques), check out Type Idea Index. You'll find yourself face-to-face with 650+ custom-created, idea-sparking examples of typography and type-intensive design. For maximum user-friendliness, these samples are organized according to the theme they express (Energy, Elegance, Order, Rebellion) and the sort of real-world application they relate to (initials, monograms, logos, headlines, paragraphs).



Expand your knowledge of type and brainstorm for ideas every time you design with letters and words.



Type Idea Index is the sixth installment in the best-selling, globally popular Index series by Jim Krause.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Krause has worked as a designer in the Pacific Northwest since the 1980s and has produced award-winning work for clients large and small. He is also the author and designer of the best-selling Index series available from HOW Design Books.

Product Details

• Vinyl Bound: 360 pages
• Publisher: How (December 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581808062
• ISBN-13: 978-1581808063
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Krause has worked as a designer in the Pacific Northwest since the 1980s. He has produced award-winning work for clients large and small, including Microsoft, McDonald's, Kodak, Cingular Wireless, Washington Apples, Bell Helicopter, Levi Strauss, Paccar/Kenworth, Northern Trust and Seattle Public Schools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good creative resource, April 6, 2007

By 

Christopher Kiefer (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Type Idea Index: The Designer's Ultimate Tool for Choosing and Using Fonts Creatively (Vinyl Bound)

I appreciate the way the book's sections are divided into "personalities" such as "energy," "organic," "technological," etc. The "rebellious" section made me laugh more than once. This book not only presents layouts but critiques them. Sometimes the book presents obviously "bad" font layouts, and explains why they are unsuccessful. Personally, I learn what to do by first learning what NOT to do.

Type Idea Index encourages mixing computer graphics with other media and even handmade processes. From the book's critiques, I realized font families originate from physical printing processes. Coming from a non-graphic design background, I now feel more competant to go beyond Photoshop drop-down font menus.

The Jim Krause "Index" book series together probably deserves the full five-star rating.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, February 28, 2007

By 

Jazz Art Design (Northern California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Type Idea Index: The Designer's Ultimate Tool for Choosing and Using Fonts Creatively (Vinyl Bound)

Jam packed with lots of good type ideas. I've used it a few times to spark something. Not really much more to say about it, it's a collection of a wide variety of font treatments, mostly great, some not so great.

It is full color unlike the original Idea Index. I'm sure I will continue using it for years to come. It's important to have books like this in your design reference library, you never know when you are going to run across the perfect font treatment for your next design, and being a small easily accessed book, this works great.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Type Idea Index, September 5, 2007

By 

Mary Sue Dodson (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Type Idea Index: The Designer's Ultimate Tool for Choosing and Using Fonts Creatively (Vinyl Bound)

I have all of Jim Krause "idea" books. They contain a lot of inspiration in a small amount of space. I keep them nearby at home and at the office. I flip through them while thinking about an idea for a new project.