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Arcade Game Typography

The Art of Pixel Type
4.39 goodreads logo

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( 100 ratings, 18 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Arcade Game Typography unveils the rich, creative world of pixel typefaces from 70s to 90s arcade video games. Constrained by low resolution and colour limits, game designers crafted expressive fonts within tiny 8x8 grids, creating a unique, colourful style. Featuring classic titles like Pac-Man and Shinobi, the book offers an extensive collection of pixel fonts alongside insightful analysis from author and typeface designer Toshi Omagari.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$8100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for typography enthusiasts, graphic designers, video game historians, and retro gaming fans interested in the visual culture of arcade games. Its detailed research and vibrant presentation also appeal to arts and culture readers exploring unique design histories.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The definitive survey of '70s, '80s, and early '90s arcade video game pixel typography.

The first book of its kind - a definitive and beautifully designed survey of 70s, 80s and early 90s arcade video game pixel typography

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Arcade Game Typography presents readers with a fascinating new world of typography - the pixel typeface. Video game designers of the 70s, 80s and 90s faced colour and resolution limitations that stimulated incredible creativity: with letters having to exist in an 8x8 square grid, artists found ways to create expressive and elegant character sets within a tiny canvas.

Featuring pixel typefaces carefully selected from the first decades of arcade video games, Arcade Game Typography presents a previously undocumented 'outsider typography' movement, accompanied by insightful commentary from author Toshi Omagari, a Monotype typeface designer himself, and screenshots of the type in use.

Exhaustively researched, this book gathers an eclectic typography from hit games such as Super Sprint, Pac-Man, After Burner, Marble Madness, Shinobi, as well as countless lesser-known gems. The book presents its typefaces on a dynamic and decorative grid, taking reference from high-end type specimens while adding a suitably playful twist.

Unlike print typefaces, pixel type often has bold colour 'baked in' to the characters, so Arcade Game Typography looks unlike any other typography book, fizzing with life and colour.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Arcade Game Typography is celebrated as a definitive, well-researched guide to arcade pixel fonts. It is praised for its eclectic collection and insightful commentary, described as "fantastic" and a "deep dive" into a previously undocumented 'outsider typography' movement. Recognised by sources like Creative Review, Design Week, and TypeRoom, it is appreciated for its lively presentation and importance to typography and gaming culture.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780500021743

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 October 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Illustration: 102 Illustrations, black and white; 306 Illustrations, color

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Kiyonori Muroga

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 230.0mm

Weight: 890g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Toshi Omagari is a typeface designer at Monotype UK. He studied typography and typeface design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, graduating in 2008. Arcade Game Typography is his first book. Kiyonori Muroga established his career as editorin-chief of IDEA magazine, a Tokyo-based publication focused on graphic design and typography with a global cult following. Muroga-san left IDEA in 2018 to pursue new ventures in writing and publishing around graphic design.

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