Aimed at students, professionals and the general reader interested in developing an awareness of typographics and letterforms.

Ladislas Mandel, the renowned French type designer, perceives typefaces as cultural items, writing “Our first glance of any written work is always cultural. If the perceived forms are contained in our cultural references, we recognize them, we “own” them like the reflection of our own image and we open large doors to their intelligence.” He is concerned primarily with the act of perception as a key factor. In his essay Écritures, miroir des hommes et des sociétés, Mandel draws attention to writing as a reflection of man’s image throughout history, pondering as well the process of writing today. The popularization of information technology has led to an unprecedented proliferation of typographical characters. Within this context of unconditional and uncontrolled freedom, the author reflects upon the reasons for writing in all of its diverse forms, contemplating the creative process in general, as well as upon new forms of writing, and ultimately upon the unique gaze of the reader. For Mandel, writing is a language apart and an indelible creation of the human mind. In rediscovering its virtues, he brings writing to life.