First edition. Spine of jacket faded, else a near fine copy.

This introduction to the wonderfully artistic world of type and design was published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Feb. 9, 2001 through Jan. 13, 2002. Explores type primarily through the medium of posters, considered the most effective advertising medium during the formative years of modernist typography. With 80 color reproductions, considers the effects of artistic schools within the Modernism movement, such as Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Dadaism, De Stijl, Russian Constructivism, and Bauhaus, with an annotated profile accompanying each piece that places it in context with the period. Ryan also explains the innovative techniques used in the works, including lettering methods, sans serif alphabets, emphasis through all lowercase letters and the combining of color, pattern and type.