Do you mean info-aesthetically showing the progression, like with graphics and type aiding the information given? It would make a interesting short film/flash presentation.

Otherwise, there have been a few books written about the evolution of type and visual language. I am reading one right now called 'Lettering'.

I did this for a year during my MA. I mapped the British museum collection, cataloguing the pieces that had writing on them. I then divided them according to scripts and made a little book.

It would help me know what exactly you're talking about if you posted an example. But yeah, it sounds interesting!

> ...and made a little book.

I'd love to see that book. And any other samples of work like this.

Please and thank you.

Sure thing! I promise to post some stuff on the weekend, when I might get some time to do the pdf's and stuff. It might not be a great idea, as I (shamefully) don't have a website to call my own. I'll come up with something.

Oh, and by "little" I meant BIG...I was trying to be sarcastic ;)

and i'd start off earlier than greek (which i believe came before latin), but with lasceaux, pictographs, and phoenician alphabets.

ah, yeh thatd be good idea chuck

As far as I know (or believe) it went like this:
- Proto-writing
- Cuneiform
- Hieroglyphs
- Linear Scripts (A and B)
- Greek
- Cypriot
- Etruscan
- Latin
- Western Alphabet

With some scripts coming and going in different directions:
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Cyrillic
- Mesoamerican scripts
- Ogham
- Runes

I'd start in Proto-writing because that's the first time ideas (as opposed to objects) are expressed with pictures.

I could go on and on and on and on about this, so I better stop now....

Mason’s History of the Art of Writing contains some diagrams like this for individual letters and shorter periods of history, as does Jubert’s Typography and Graphic Design History. Neither one is worth purchasing just for the diagrams—especially the latter—, but the former can be found on Google books as it has passed into the public domain.

And Antonio, I would love to see your book as well :)

Where's the book?

Sorry guys, but I've been insanely busy these last weeks. I'll try to post a PDF of it tonight. It will be of a five letter version of it; one I sent some people I admire in the design industry. I also have to post one to my tutor, who helped a lot during the MA.

Speak to you soon

Ok, I'm ready. After leaving work, running half–way through London to get my lovely wife a birthday present, stopping to finally buy a comic book I've been looking for, getting home, editing my InDesign file and exporting it, I'm happy to say the PDF is ready to go!

If only I knew how to upload it... Anyone care to assist me on this? *keeps fingers crossed*

*edit: I'll post a new topic to see if I get some help that way.