歐洲文藝復興時期的活字印刷術成就了西方近代智識文明的發展，而回顧西方字形的演化歷史，從書寫到印刷可謂字體造形概念的一大突破。本研究試圖以文藝復興前後之歐洲為例，以社會環境、文化思潮及字形風格演化的歷史角度，來探討活字印刷字體造形的形成背景，並進一步分析歷史文化之要素在造形概念中扮演的基礎角色。在全球化、國際化的當化潮流中，西方字體儼然已成為不可避免的視覺傳達介面。但對國內平面設計界而言，目前西方字體的運用多數仍只注重其視覺形式，而忽略其文化背景與美學觀。本文主要內容除了論述相關的文獻和教學概況，同時也闡述部份藝術史的理論觀點來辯證西方字體發展之研究方向；並針對文化、歷史與字形理念的互動關係，來思索西方字形教學上的應用。其目的是希望藉由歷史文化的觀點來探究其造形理念之過程中，進一步提供字體視覺形式以外的思考方向，以作為文字設計研究、教學及創作之參考。

Typographic printing, a magical invention in European Renaissance, resulted in the development of Western modern knoeledge and civilization. In the history of alphabetical lettering, it was a great step for the concept of letterform from script to print. This study is trying to explore the background to form the typeface style and to analyze its basic esthetic concept from historical perspective, including the societal environment in Renaissance, the cultural thought, and the volution of letterform. In the internationalized contemporary wave, the alphabetical typography exactly have become a necessary interface for visual communication. For most graphic designers in Taiwan, the use of Western typography still focuses on their visual style, but ignored their cultural background and esthetic concept. Thus, with the view of history and culture, the purpose of this study is to conclude the relationship between the original concept of typeface design and the its cultural background, to provide a thinking direction except the visual style, and to become a reference resource for design education and creation.