On Paul Rand site:
There are essentially two kinds of typography: The familiar kind for reading, and the other, simply for viewing, like a painting. Some say that readability is most important. There are really two important things about typography: readability and beauty; both are equally important. However, many readable typefaces are visually offensive. The design of a typeface, ugly or not, is only one aspect of the problem of readability. How a typeface is used is equally, if not more, important.

Here is an interview with graphic designer Michael Bierut, where he talks about the evolution of type, the various covers of The Catcher in the Rye, the ugliness of ITC Garamond, and all sorts of other intriguing things.

Source: The Atlantic

You probable know Typeradio, created by Underware, and it´s famous quote:

“Type is speech on paper.
Typeradio is speech on type.”

Unfortunatelly i don´t have the time to hear it as often as I wanted…but today I heard the John D. Berry session, and I advise you to do the same.
(Don´t miss the nice jingle at the beggining
I specially liked the “confrontation” with David Carson‘s work, which I also appreciate very much. ( You can hear David Carson’s episodes also on typeradio)

It´s divided in three parts:

Part 1:
John always starts with questions, everything he does in his life he has come to sideways, he is interested in both words and visuals and does not make a distinction between the two. What good is it to be a designer if you don’t read?

Part 2:
John talks about collecting and accumulating, and how he organises his collections. If you are a collector of obscure literary magazines of the pacific north west from the late seventies and early eighties this could be your chance to increase your collection. John talks about being the editor of U&LC, and how content and design worked together perfectly.

Part3:
John explains how he got involved with U&lc. What he hates about typography and what not to do. What he finds important when designing a magazine. His views on Massimo Vignelli and David Carson. Why not to use Helvetica numerals. What he considers most powerful the written or spoken word.

And who is John D. Berry? Let´s go to the facts:

John D. Berry is an editor/typographer who works both sides of the design/content divide. He is the former editor and publisher of U&lc (Upper and lower case) and of U&lc Online, and he edited the book Language Culture Type, on international type design, published for ATypI by Graphis. He has a deep and eclectic background in both writing/editing and typography; he has made a career for more than twenty-five years in Seattle, New York, and San Francisco as an editor and book designer. He writes and consults extensively on typography, and he has won numerous awards for his book designs.
He writes a regular column about type and design, dot-font, for Creativepro.com.
He lives in Seattle with the writer Eileen Gunn.

He never drew a typeface, but “maybe he will surprise himself someday”.

And from the previous post, I stumble upon this documentary on New York graffiti circa 1983, Presented by Tony Silver & Henry Chalfant. Check out the Style Wars site also.

Exploring the legacy that Eric Gill, maverick genius of the Arts and Crafts Movement, has left to Ditchling, the early twentieth-century setting for his controversial experiments. This episode is Luke Holland’s personal journey to search for the controversial artist’s legacy on his own back door.
The BBC documentary film Looking for Mr Gill is now available to purchase on DVD.

JG Ballard covers by timeline.

Wow… what a great resource. Peter Gabor, from design et typo blog (FR), has put together a nice gallery collection, categorized by author or theme, that is a pleasure to browse. Go take a look at the Design&Typo Site.

Some examples:

Piet Zwart (Zaandijk, 28 May 1885 – Wassenaar, 24 September 1977) was a Dutch photographer, typographer, and industrial designer. He started his career as an architect and worked for Jan Wils and Berlage.

As a designer, Zwart was well known because of his work for both the Nederlandse Kabelfabriek Delft (the Dutch Cable Factory in Delft) and the Dutch Postal Telegraph and Telephone, and as a pioneer of modern typography. He did not adhere to traditional typography rules, but used the basic principles of constructivism and “De Stijl” in his commercial work. His work can be recognized by its primary colors, geometrical shapes, repeated word patterns and an early use of photomontage.
He created a total of 275 designs in 10 years for the NKF Company, almost all typographical works. He resigned in 1933 to become an interior, industrial and furniture designer.
Piet Zwart died at the age of 92 in 1977.

More info at Tipografos.net article on Piet Zwart.(Portuguese)

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Flickr Set then AceJet then a new blog by Vernon: newtypography.