Published by Pao&Paws in Taiwan, this book is bound in mauve, white, rose, or purple faux-crushed velvet covers. 

Edited and curated by Joshua Berger and Imin Pao

In the age of digital typography a designer has literally thousands of typefaces available to choose from. 30 Essential Typefaces is a book focused on thirty of the most useful and functional typefaces in use today. The typeface selections were arrived at after questioning of design department chairs at RISD, Art Center, Basel, Yale, and St. Martin. In an era where fonts go in and out of style in months not years, these thirty typefaces stand the test of time. 

30 Essential Typefaces collects leading contemporary design examples highlighting the usage of each of the typefaces. Each typeface contains historical information and specimen samples. The examples of usage vary greatly—and at times diverge completely from the type designer’s original intent.

Content includes essays by Cyrus Highsmith, Hank Van Assen, Wolfgang Weingart, Stanley Moss, Akira Kobayashi, and an interview with Matthew Carter. Featured works by Build, Lust, Chris Ashworth, Why Not Associates, Stephen Doyle, Margo Chase, Paul Sahre, Art Chantry, Rebeca Mendez, and others.

Within is also the results of an experiment I did by interpolating and combining all 30 typefaces, refining it into on globby piece of typographic PostScript muck. A brief essay I wrote accompanies the experiment.