Reviewed by Allan Haley
I’m of the generation that “grew up” with U&lc magazine, professionally speaking. I remember eagerly awaiting the delivery of each quarterly issue. Which did we anticipate more? ITC’s newest typeface release announcement, or Herb Lubalin’s latest typographic tour-de-force? It was a toss-up. I saved every issue, and the full set is still stored in several boxes in my attic.
For me, then, U&lc: influencing design and typography is particularly welcome, since it means I no longer have to climb my attic stairs and dig into those boxes to enjoy the best of U&lc.
U&lc (Upper & lowercase) magazine, published between 1970 and 1999, was a defining voice in illustration and typographic graphic design. The magazine’s contributors were some of the most influential designers and artists of the time. Many proffered their talents at reduced rates, just to have their work included in the publication. From the first issues by Herb Lubalin and the later, almost equally striking designs of Bob Farber, as well as a roster of guest designers that reads like a “who’s who” of graphic design, U&lc had a cachet that was unmatched.
U&lc: influencing design and typography is edited by John D. Berry, who also served as the magazine’s editor for its final six issues. The book showcases the finest covers, stories and illustrations from the nearly 120 issues of U&lc that were published. Although not as large in format as the tabloid-sized publication it celebrates, Berry’s book is ample in size, allowing the selected pages to be reproduced in very close to their full glory. Leafing through these pages is like viewing the evolution of graphic design over a quarter-century.
Four chapters contributed by U&lc insiders provide additional perspective. John Berry writes about the business of the magazine, albeit through a relatively narrow window of time. Joyce Rutter Kaye, who was both managing editor and a frequent contributor, provides a brief overview of the magazine’s policy in the 1990s of using guest designers. Rhonda Rubinstein writes of her tenure as a designer for three issues. And Steven Heller, who often wrote for U&lc, provides an insightful reflection on the twenty-year history of the magazine. In fact, my only nitpick with the book is that only Heller comments on the total breadth of the publication.
Of course, the real stars of this book are the pages of U&lc itself, not the words written about them. The endpapers are an especially delightful surprise: every cover of the magazine is displayed. While necessarily small, each is of sufficient size to present the design adequately, and an index provides a chronological overview.
Whether you grew up with U&lc or only know about it from listening to us old guys reminisce, this volume offers a wealth of inspiration. It’s a great book for any graphic designer to own, and a “must have” for those of us who have an ongoing love affair with the typographic arts.