By Amber Weaver
272 pages, softcover, £27.99
Published by People of Print (in perpetuum)
femme-type.com

In her introduction to Femme Type, a book celebrating type designers who identify as being women, author Amber Weaver writes that while studying design at the University of the Arts London Chelsea, she loved “the physicality of books ... the bold, permanent stance that each image took on the page as part of a curated object.” So it was perhaps inevitable that her book would be bold in both design and narrative. And deftly done too; monochrome pages and a zingy acid aquamarine Pantone spot build a vigorous but never overpowering platform for the work of the 40 creatives gathered across its 272 pages. It’s a terrific selection, and a globally strong one, with projects from type and graphic designers working in the expected European capitals and American cities to those whose nationalities span Iranian, Israeli, Venezuelan, Argentinian, Taiwanese, Russian and Lebanese. Gathered together in a dynamic catalog-style compilation, they demonstrate a breadth of talent that is as exciting as it is diverse. And the writing—a mix of essays; Q&As; biographies; outlines; and first-person descriptions of projects, from genesis to development and application—ensures a lively flow to the book’s content. The structure is not without its faults; content pages are done away with, and the mismatch in the number of pages devoted to each designer is a misstep, as is the overly complex index, but these are minor points. As a collection of fresh typography-led work created by women around the world, Femme Type is a terrific addition to a male-dominated canon, and long overdue. —Yolanda Zappaterra