im sorry about my bad English.
English is not my first language :(

That sounds like something I said here on Typophile but that would not be a helpful quote since I am mere mortal.

Check this link:

http://typophile.com/node/32534

ChrisL

Vari,
Where did you find the quote?

ChrisL

Vari,
Do you know Kris Sowersby there in New Zealand? He is quite a good type designer.

ChrisL

You can also check Evert Bloemsma and his FF Legato. Is about form and counter form. see also: http://typophile.com/wiki/ff_legato

Emil Ruder’s Typographie book should have some quotes regarding negative space in typographic layout. It is in German, English, and French, if that is helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Typography-Emil-Ruder/dp/3721200438

ChrisL

I don’t know the source of your quotes, but the best bets are either
Adrian Frutiger or Gerrit Noordzij. If you look into their works you will find interesting discussions of the the balance of black and white, form and counterform. The discussions go back to end of the 19th century, with the introduction of East Asian ideas about the balance of dark and light, known as ‘nóng dàn’ in Chinese or notan in Japanese.

If you can find a copy, I think either edition of Hermann Zapf’s Manuale Typographicum would be an ideal source for you.

My edition (1968, MIT Press) has 100 pages. Each page contains one or more important thoughts about typography, type design, printing, books, culture, language. Some pages have three or four quotes. There are quotes comparing the form of typography to that of architecture, or music, in addition to the expected things such as, “With 26 soldiers of lead I shall conquer the world.”

What is most impressive is that Zapf has printed the quotations in the original language of the author (!) and provides a translation into English in the back of the book. I assume the other edition (late 1950s?) is the same general idea, although I have not seen it in person.

I do not know if either of these was ever reprinted in a subsequent (offset, thus cheaper) edition. The original editions were very carefully made in multiple colors, printed letterpress, so they are rare at this point and you would be likely to find them only in the special-collections section of a university library, or in a private collection.

You might also read Weingarts Typography book:

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Weingart-My-Way-Typography/dp/390704486X

and “The New Typography” by Tchichold.

http://books.google.com/books?id=48YYG5M4e7MC&dq=the+new+typography+tsch...

ChrisL

Ah, Chris is being too modest. Following his link, I see your quote is from him. No ’mere’ mortal, I’ve heard that Chris can leap tall buildings like a frog :)

I find your comment ribbitting, William :-)

ChrisL

Thank you all.
Hi, ChrisL, my friend found this quote, but she doesnt know where shes got if from..(she just written down)
but when I looked at http://typophile.com/node/32534
you said exactly same thing, I was wondering maybe shes got from you??
hahaha.
Im going to Uni, and check all books

Vari

Hi Ria, my bet is Bauhaus,Moholy-Nagy, Feininger, Gropius himself even. But it could also be Rudolf Arnheim.

“Hi, ChrisL, my friend found this quote, but she doesnt know where shes got if from..”

She or someone she knows probably got it here on Typophile. Although it is flattering to see my words associated with famous designers in history, I know that is not the case. I am just an ordinary designer. If it were not for the internet and this forum, nothing I said would ever have been seen or certainly not quoted. Google is a funny thing, it can find a segment of text without any caring for the status of the writer—true democratization :-)

ChrisL

Ria, your effort has a lot of merit, but there’s a big problem: virtually all expressions of form-counterform (better called notan) in type design are nothing but lip-service. This is especially true of those who believe that chirography (loosely meaning calligraphy) should be a central force in type design; they tend to say nice things about notan, but in practice work to demote it. As my father is fond of saying: You can call you daughter George, but that won’t make her a boy.

Really the only type designer who’s said anything worthwhile about notan is Bloemsma: study his work and thoughts - you will derive a singular benefit.

hhp

Ria, I think I’ve encountered something you might appreciate.

In the Helvetica movie there’s a short segment where Mike Parker waxes poetic about the ability of the Swiss to make the black and white lock together. Not that I agree (especially not concerning Helvetica!) but he delivers it in such a compelling, even sensual way - it’s really impressive.

You might ask Gary Hustwit (a modest and accessible person if there ever was one) for a video clip of that segment - a text transcript would not do it justice.

hhp

Chris-

Henry Ford once said, “history is bunk.” Some people may read that to mean that it’s meaningless— I don’t. i prefer to think it refers to the vast oceans of experience that exist beyond what we normally consider as “historical.” Each person in the crowd — every unrecorded, unremembered utterance added, in it’s way, meaning and relevence to even the most important events. As Ken Nordine put it[i’m paraphrasing]: the face in the mob crying, “yes! yes!’ as ’history’ unfolded helped condition the truth.

Whenever someone can give voice (eloquence? understanding?) to our achievements and fumblings, it’s important.

Thanks Chuck.

ChrisL