This is a growing collection of info and links that may help with Devanagari (or other Indian scripts) type design. This list here is still growing and is by no means complete, so if you have any suggestions you’d like to see included here, just let us know!
Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s, 2011, Deepali Dewan, Royal Ontario Museum Press.
James Puckett recommended this title noting that it has some nice type on posters. See also Bollywood Posters which is also worth noting.
Chitrakshara, Kamal Shedge, 2002, Akshar Prakashan, Mumbai.
Collection of lettering samples for Marathi plays and Hindi movie titles.
English-Hindi Modern Lettering, A.H. Hashmi, 1988, Pustak Mahal,Delhi.
Shows lettering samples in Latin and Devanagari along with describing basic principles of lettering. Can be ordered directly from the publisher.
Ganesh Vidya, L.S. Wakankar, 1968, Script Study Group, Mumbai.
Presents data on Phonology, Scriptology from ancient Indian literature.
Non-Latin Typefaces, Fiona Ross and Rob Banham, St. Bride Foundation, London and Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, University of Reading.
Essays describing the rich collections from St. Bride Library, Linotype Non-Latin Collection at the UoR.
Practical Guide to Lettering, K.C. Aryan, Rekha Prakashan, 1996, New Delhi.
A reference book for English and Hindi Lettering styles. It is in print but is hard to get because of an error in Amazon’s database – it links it to other books which screws up search results and can send incorrect order information to sellers.
Sahaj Sopi Modi Lipi, Shrikrishna Tilak, 2012, Vyas Prakashan, Thane.
Marathi book, gives a brief overview of Modi (a cursive adapdation of Devanagari) script.
The Art of Bollywood, Rajesh Devraj, Paul Duncan, 2010, Taschen, Koln.
Great illustrated and detailed account of the design of Bollywood posters in India over the years. It’s out of print in most of the world and Taschen is not planning a reprint. New copies of the Indian edition can still be found in India and in some U.K. bookstores.
The Palaeography of India, Pandit Gaurishankar Hirachand Munshiram Ojha, 2011, Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.
A descriptive and illustrated book that covers the various aspects of Indian palaeography.
The Printed Bengali Character and Its Evolution, Fiona Ross, 2009, Shishu Sahitya Samsad, Kolkata.
Not specific to Devanagari, but an important account of Indian type history.
Think Visual, Shantaram Pawar, 2006, Navneet, Mumbai.
A study in book cover design.
Typography of Devanagari, Bapurao Naik, 1971, Directorate of Lanuages, Bombay.
A comprehensive study of the history and evolution of Devanagari.
CALTIS, 1983, 1984, 1985, Navyug Printers and Manufacturers, Pune, India.
Collection of articles on different Indian scripts in the areas of salligraphy, lettering and typography.
Typo Magazine, No. 49, Autumn 2012. Vydavatelství, Prague
A special issue dedicated to Indian scripts, many diverse articles.
We’ve produced a “Devanagari Funbook” that contains 52 pages of info, photos, activities, and inspiration to help you get started designing for the Devanagari script.