Stop Stealing Sheep

A review of Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann and E.M Ginger. Read it. Seriously.

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for about a year and I’ve done nothing with it other than look at the pretty pictures (of which there are many). Yesterday, I was on a long drive and I brought it along, thinking I would simply start the book. To my surprise, I digested the entire volume in about two hours. This is not to say that Spiekermann and Ginger’s book is no more than a pamphlet; no, it is a really great little book that (almost) everyone should read.

I loved how easy it was to read. It wastes no time nor space on the page. It outlines a number of important typographic principles in an incredibly simple way, making this book ideal for anyone who uses type (almost everyone). Editors, copy writers, all artists, designers and people who like to read.

Granted this book is not a notably deep treatise on the subject, it doesn’t really need to be. It teaches some very important principles using simple, easy to remember and relatable analogies. Many authors present similar information in a typographer/designer-only cryptic language. It probably is not the type of book that a seasoned typographer might read. However, If you can’t quite call yourself an expert and are seeking to improve your understanding and use of typography, take the time (not much time at all) to read this book.

Overall, the book is complete, though not too deep and presents the information in an easy-to-read, and perhaps more importantly: easy-to-remember way.

Eric Spiekermann has designed the FF Meta typeface as well as Berliner Grotesk BQ, FF Info Display, FF Info Office, FF Info Text, FF Meta Boiled, FF Meta Condensed, FF Meta Correspondence, FF Meta Subnormal, ITC Officina Display, ITC Officina Sans, ITC Officina Serif, FF Unit and several other typefaces as parts of corporate design programs.

Spiekermann co-authored Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works. He also participated in the creation of numerous corporate identities and other works, including redesigns of the publications The Economist and Reason. (quoted from source)

E.M. Ginger has worked with books, type and typography for 30 years as an author, editor, designer, typographer and instructor to name a few.

She is currently the executive editor at Octavo, a company specializing in digitizing rare books. She is the editor of several award-winning cookbooks, as well as books on design and typography. (quoted and abridged from the book reviewed in this article)