The following words to design by, from the pen of Lucian Bernhard, were written in January 1929—a year that started brightly and came to a crushing halt on October 29 with the devastating collapse of U.S. stock market prices. After that, type and graphic design did not seem as important. But, surprisingly, it was. Type was one of the tools that the designers for industry used to help resuscitate the economy—a small tool, obviously, but part of the push to rebuild the consumer society. But I digress. Funnily, in characterizing “today’s reader,” Bernhard seems to be describing today’s issues:
.For more of Steven Heller on typography, check out Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography at MyDesignShop.com.