geometric: graphic art and pattern fonts by Kapitza. (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Different "letters" are different weights and angles of each pattern and by simply adjusting kerning and leading, you can create different variations. For example, you might use four Rs in a row to create a basic pattern and then overlap them via tight kerning. What works really well is that you can simply try out new patterns by switching to another font or point size. Layering is naturally a case of duplication and then more tweaking.

Of course, you could do all this by hand in Illustrator and take ages with its lame step-and-repeat features (or lack of - Transform, Move and check Copy? Pfft!), but the geometric font library makes it a lot easier.

I recommend using something like Linotype's FontExplorerX so that you can really see what's going on. Linotype have just released a Beta of the Windows version and, as OpenType, the fonts swing both ways, Mac and PC. I rather enjoyed the surprise of randomly trying out key combinations, however, because it led to a few creative surprises.

I have to mention the obvious effort that went into the icons for the font folders on the CD too - they show what's inside them, are very cute and show nice attention to detail.

The book itself ("printed in Germany with love") has plenty of examples of patterns, which might be of interest in and of themselves, especially if you have a penchant for Neo-Sixties patterns and Op Art, but most of the fonts are basic enough shapes to do what you want with and there are plenty of more contemporary examples.

The preface and the interview are in German - Nicole and Petra are German, but "find London much more inspiring that other cities", which may be true, but I like living in Germany having lived in London long enough. The rest of the book is dual language English and German and in the last section are a set of tutorials to get you started making patterns, but my guess is that you'll want to explore yourself having got the idea.

It's a nice object - the dust-jacket is a poster too, if you're willing to let your book go naked - and it feels like the kind of book and set of fonts that are handy to have around, because you never know what the next client will ask for. --designersreviewofbooks.com, 27.11.2008

Es gibt Weisheiten, die alltagskompatibel sind. Und es gibt Menschen, die in der Lage sind, diese nicht nur zu erdenken, sondern sie auch glaubhaft zu vermitteln. Dazu gehören im besten Fall Intelligenz, Witz und Charme - Eigenschaften, die, wenn man nach dem vorliegenden Werk urteilen darf, Stefan Sagmeister ziemlich sicher nachzusagen sind. "Einen guten Eindruck machen zu wollen schränkt mich ein" etwa ist eines der Dinge, die der Tagebuch schreibende Grafiker im Lauf der Zeit (bisher) aus dem Leben mitgenommen hat. Aber da Worte manchmal nur Hülsen sind, begann der New Yorker Typograf seine Maxime weltweit an Zäune und Bäumen, in Parks und Pools, auf Plakaten, Projektionen, Geschäftsberichten und Zeitschriften zu verbreiten. Er nutzte dafür Abfälle, Absperrband, Würstchen und Kakteen genauso wie die Fotografie, die Typografie, 3D-Installationen, einen ungebremsten Spieltrieb, Photoshop und Ideen ohne geistige Grenzen. Das gedruckte Ergebnis ist eine mitreißende Dokumentation seiner Projekte - die aus 15 Heften besteht, und die mit dem lasergeschnittenen Cover variiert werden können. Frei nach dem Motto: Lasset das Denken, Schauen und Spielen beginnen! --Designers Digest, 104/2008