At the heart of this issue is a personal tribute to Saul Bass, by his friend and colleague Arnold Schwartzman. There is ample evidence that Bass was an inspiration to others, throughout the long, star-spangled career, which ended with his sad death this year.
Inspiration is a word that springs to mind when one sees the work of Ralph Beyer. His lettering for Coventry Cathedral has a unique quality, and his profile here reflects on the people and work, which inspired him.
At the other end of the size scale, is the micro typographic environment of Jost Hochuli. Swiss book design receives his carefully considered analysis; while a close look at the emphemera collection of G F Smith reveals how other eminent designers have gained sufficient inspiration from paper to make important contributions to its promotion.
The idiosyncratic genius of Oz Cooper inspired not just his contemporaries, who prepared a tribute: ‘The Book of Oz Cooper’, featured here, but also current type designers who have given new life to his typographic ideas.
The new technologies of multimedia and the Internet continue to provide typographic challenges. The student thesis of Daniel Birch points us to the contribution that research, even at student level, can make to the debate. While the research by Andrew Boag into the convoluted world of type fonts for the Web, shows up some startling recent alliances, and, in his opinion piece, clarifies the issues from the designer’s point of view.