Typographic Fairy Delights and Educates

An unusual book, The Serif Fairy is a sweet trip through typographic fantasy lands

Pity the poor Serif Fairy. She has a problem, you see; she’s lost her left wing, and it’s not just that she can’t fly without a matched set; that left one, why, that’s the one she does magic with!

And so, in a style reminiscent of many fairy tales, the Serif Fairy sets off in search of the part that will make her once again whole, in The Serif Fairy: Explorations in the World of Letters, by René Siegfried, translated by Joel Mann, and published by Mark Batty Publisher.

It’s a book that lives up to its title. The Serif Fairy lives in a world of simple colors and letters, passing through four simply-rendered lands in her travels: Beginning in the Garamond Forest, passing throught the Zentenar Gate (a Fraktur, “German”-style type), braving the busy world of Futura (book) City, and at last arriving at Shelley Lake (Shelley Andante Script), where she at last completes her quest.

The Serif Fairy dodges traffic in the hustle and bustle of Futura City: from Batty Publisher’s The Serif Fairy

It’s become something of a trope to say that a certain children’s book has something to appeal even to adults, but it’s true here. If one is interested in book design, the format and layout of the book has much to say about effective design; the publisher reports that it’s a Type Directors Club award winner. As an epilogue, the book shows off the four faces used and describes, in simple language, what makes each face unique. The back endpaper depicts each typographic creature and object, listing the glyphs used to create each, and the book even has an easter egg; a small note at the end of the story reminds the reader that scattered throughout the illustrations are small creatures who do not belong in each of the respective worlds, and they’re yours for the finding.

Anyone who figured the sere land of typographic design was beyond a rather deep yet entertaining treatment by a children’s book will get a very pleasant surprise.

The Serif Fairy: Explorations in the World of Letters is available from the publisher or at Amazon.com. Street price is $15.95; 32pp, casebound.