‘Design with Type’ (Second Edition) – Carl Dair, 1967

On his striking cover the word ‘type’ is set in Folio Medium. ‘Design with’ and ‘Carl Dair’ are in Helvetica Light. Possibly to make his name as visually simple as the surrounding squares, Dair replaced both of the two-story ‘a’s in his name with a less complex single-story ‘a’ that he most likely made by removing the ascender from a ‘d’. Best guess is that he used the Letraset version of Helvetica.

A double page spread that shows Carl Dair’s interest in new directions in contemporary typography, whether in print or on film. Throughout his life Dair always remained in the forefront of developments in typography and communication.

The front and back of the prospectus for Design with Type showing a few sample pages from the book as well as an order form. The 1967 price of $7.50 would be worth just over $60 in 2023. The initial print run was 5,000 copies, at that time a large number for a Canadian book on typography. As often happens with these ancillary pieces, someone at the press set a few lines in News Gothic rather than Helvetica or Univers that was used in the book.

The front and back of the prospectus for Design with Type showing a few sample pages from the book as well as an order form. The 1967 price of $7.50 would be worth just over $60 in 2023. The initial print run was 5,000 copies, at that time a large number for a Canadian book on typography. As often happens with these ancillary pieces, someone at the press set a few lines in News Gothic rather than Helvetica or Univers that was used in the book.