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CDES434: Typography II Research Guide
Created by Kristin Johnson, formerly liaison librarian to the Department of Communication Design

The following guide is a good place to start when researching for information for your CDES434 Design History Poster, especially if you are feeling unsure regarding what information resources will be considered to be of acceptable quality by your instructor.

Please keep in mind that this list is not complete and that you can always AskALibrarian for additional research help. If you'd like, you can contact Aaron Bowen , the liaison librarian to the Communication Design Department directly at 898-5686, or asbowen@csuchico.edu.

Quick links to sections on this page:
Getting Started :: Finding Books :: Finding Articles :: Citing Your Sources

Getting Started

Gathering historical information about typography, and biographical information about the "typographical pioneer" you have chosen, are important components of your project. The following reference sources will be helpful.

Online Reference Sources
Print Reference Sources: 2nd Floor Meriam Library
  • Contemporary Designers / Call #: NK1390 C655 1997
  • Dictionary of 20th-Century Design / Call #: NK1390 P53 1990
  • Dictionary of Art / Call #: N31 D5 1996 vols. 1-34
  • The GATF Encyclopedia of Graphic Communications / Call #: Z118 G29 1998
  • Modern Encyclopedia of Typefaces, 1960-90 / Call #: Z250 W238 1990
  • Rookledge's International Type-Finder: The Essential Handbook of Typeface Recognition and Selection / Call #: Z250 R66
  • The Thames and Hudson Encyclopaedia of 20th Century Design and Designers / Call #: NK1165 J94 1993
  • Twentieth Century Type Designers / Call #: Z250 A2 C364 2002
  • Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History / Call #: Z250 A2 F76 1998

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Finding Books: Library Catalogs

If the typographic pioneer you are studying has been around for awhile and is relatively famous, chances are there has been books written about him/her.

  • Use the Meriam Library Catalog to determine what books our Library owns. The Library Catalog is available from the library's ReSEARCH Station 24 hours a day.
  • Use PHAROS to identify books on your topic that are available in other CSU libraries. Once you identify a book, you can order it via Interlibrary Loan by clicking on the "Interlibrary Loan Request" button.

Search Tips for Library Catalogs

  • If you're interested in locating books in general about "Typography", try conducting subject searches using some of the following subject headings.
    • printing specimens
    • type and type-founding
    • type designers
    • typesetting
  • You can also search library catalogs using keywords. Try conducting keyword searches using either of the following:
    • typographers
    • typefaces

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Finding Newspaper, Magazine, and Journal Articles

You can find both current and older articles about your type designer using periodical indexes/databases. The three listed below will be the most useful. They can all be reached from the Databases tab on Communication Design Resources page of the ReSEARCH Station:

Academic Search Database

Academic Search will help you identify many full-text magazine and journals articles, mostly from 1990 to the present.

Art Index

Art Index cites articles from 313 periodicals published throughout the world and includes 50 to 150 word abstracts describing the content and scope of the article. No full-text. Use the Find It button to determine whether the Meriam Library owns an electronic or print copy of the article.

Communication & Mass Media Complete

Communication & Mass Media Complete cites articles from scholarly and trade publications in the fields of communications, communication disorders, and journalism/mass media. There are abstracts for several hundred titles, with full-text availability for over 200 titles.

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Citing Your Sources

You will need to cite all your sources using MLA Style.  If you use a lot of online resources, the citations can get a little tricky.

Remember: When you cite and Internet web page, you must list much more than just the URL (web address). You also need to look for a title, author, the date the page was created, and the date you accessed the site.  For help, try looking at the following:

Handouts Available from the Meriam Library

Other Guides Available on the WWW

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