Not too long ago, David Armano (who I’m pretty sure coined “Flashturbation”) pointed out that one of his favorite agency sites is the not-too-old overhaul from The Barbarian Group because of their simplified scheme. Even outfits like Big Spaceship (pictured below), which make their name with the high-end Flash stuff they do, have reverted to a more “blog like” design and navigation. Maybe with Big Spaceship it’s like when you work at an ice cream shop all summer, the last thing you want to eat is ice cream.

Either way, I both understand and respect the route that both of those shops has chosen. They provide a high quality site and a good experience, and that’s what it’s really all about in the end. We’re really building experiences. And who says that a Flash experience has to be a bad one? Look at the (national award winning) website for ad agency Hook by my friends at Blue Ion. It manages to deliver a good user experience, along with a visually engaging and exciting interface.

And that’s why I think we need Flash. Because with Flash, you get the “wow” moments, and that’s what pushes us forward. Don’t get me wrong, I love the usability factor with blog-like designs, and good god is it easy to screw up Flash, but when it’s right, it can be great.

So heed my words internet citizens. Don’t hate the Flash. If we kill the stigma, maybe some of the good designers and developers will keep on rocking, and pushing the envelope.

What I came back with was Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students by Ellen Lupton. It looked like it covered most of the bases, and I decided it was going to be a great place to start. Keep in mind that the following short review is from the perspective of a complete beginner. If you’re a graphic designer, creative director, type aficionado, etc. then you might not feel the same way. But if this is your first crack at really understanding typography, then we’re probably on the same page.

To start off, I think it’s worth mentioning that I blew through this book in about two days. It’s not overly long (176 pages), but I still got through it pretty quickly. It wasn’t the “can’t put it down!” type of feeling that you get with suspense thrillers, but I felt like I was continually learning things (ask me about x-heights!), and was eager to see what the next page held. Lupton has a great, easy style that manages to simultaneously be simple enough for beginners and in-depth enough for more experienced readers.

From a structural standpoint, the book is broken into three sections: Letter, Text, and Grid. Letter focuses on the history, theory, and construction of individual font faces. This was my favorite section of the book, because as a complete beginner I had no idea how much there was to learn. Text talks about spacing, alignment and organization. I found this section really helpful from an overall perspective, and am now working hard to eliminate “type crimes” from my written work. The last section, Grid, covered the arrangement and presentation of bodies of text in a given field, and could be considered the most conceptual.

All in all, I really enjoyed Thinking With Type. It made a great starting place for my new interest in typography, but I also feel like there’s a lot of good stuff for someone with more experience. So if you’re a beginner looking to get rocking, or a pro looking for a little clarity, check out this book.

Some cool typography blogs:
I love Typography
Font Feed
Typies