Bodoni by Amanda Steinkey

BODONI ITALIAN TYPOGRAPHY

1798 serif typeface didone modern italian type design

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k - NICHOLAS FABIAN

Giambattista Increased stroke

contrast and

a more vertical, slightly condensed, uppercase.

“The Father of Modern Type”

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B O D O N I BY GIAMBATTISTA BODONI

iambattista Bodoni was an Italian typographer, type designer, compositor, printer, and publisher. He grew up in Parma and was an admirer of modeled types of Baskerville and Didot. He and Firmin Didot evolved a style of type called “New Face” or modern type, in which the letters are cut in a way to produce a strong contrast between the thick and thin partsof their body. The roman letter he cut in 1789 is known as Bodoni. He is also admired as acompositor, as the large range of type sizes which he cut enabled him to compose his pages with the greatest possible subtly of spacing. Like Baskerville, he sets off his texts with wide margins and uses little or illustrations or decorations. Bodoni is a series of serif typefaces created in 1789, classified as Didone modern. Bodoni follows the ideas of Baskerville. The stroke is increased in contrast

and more vertical, slightly condensed, uppercase. Bodoni’s typeface design always came down to a narrow under lying structure with flat, unbracketed serifs, extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, and an overall geometric construction. Some critics say that Bodoni is “modern” but also hard to read, due to alternating thick and thin strokes, particularly as the thin stroke are very thin at small point sizes. Bodoni used an unprecedented level of technical refinement, which allowed him to produce letterforms with very thin lines, standing in sharp contrast to thicker lines as the main stems of the characters. His printing reflected an aesthetic of plain, unadorned style, combined with purity of materials. Director of the Royal Printing House of the Duke of Parma, no other printer was more acclaimed in his own lifetime than Giambattista Bodoni.

Characteristics of Bodoni Include: - High and abrupt contrast between thick and thin strokes - Abrupt (unbracketed) hairline (thin) serifs - Vertical axis - Horizontal stress - Small aperture Some Well Known Applications: - VOGUE Magazine - MAMMA MIA! - Hilton Hotels - NIRVANA

Bodoni also designed and personally engraved 298 typefaces. After his death, II Manuale Tipografico ( The Manual of Typography), was published, presenting 373 characters, 34 Greek, and 48 Oriental or exotic ones. His type was characterized by severe simplicity. He expressed four principles of type design “from which all beauty would seem to proceed”, which were: regularity, cleanness, good taste, and charm. Nevertheless it was used prolifically in the publication of Italian books from the C18th – a language to which its design was obviously suited. Much favoured in its early years in billboard advertising, Bodoni fonts were adapted in the early C20th by countless variations. With the advent of the digital age the elegance of Bodoni was initially difficult to reproduce faithfully on screen and legibility could become a problem working in certain point sizes which the very essence of Bodoni only served to exaggerate. Today much of this has effectively been eliminated by the modern interpretations from established suppliers such as Monotype and Linotype who list more than 100 and 300 examples in their libraries respectively. Bodoni-based fonts are still highly regarded by designers for their luxurious qualities and are often used by glossy fashion magazines. Bodoni posterstyle fonts made popular in artwork produced in the Swinging Sixties are now enjoying a revival.

Bold

Bodoni

Font Styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’ Bold Italic ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

Roman

Bold Condensed

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

Italic ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

Poster ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

Book

Poster Italic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

Book Italic

Poster Compressed

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !?)(+=-_][/”:;’

10 /12

Points

Leading

8/9 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface.

Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the

11 /12 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widelyregarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface 11 /14 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widelyregarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface

8/10 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface.

9/11 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface.

9/12 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface.

12 /12 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface. 12 /14 Designed in 1798 by Giambattista Bodoni, the serif font Bodoni drew inspiration from elements of the English typeface Baskerville and the French typeface Didot, with the result widely-regarded as one of the most influential and easily-recognized typefaces in history. Giambattista has been called "the father of modern type" and the typeface Bodoni is at once modern and traditional. A study in contrasts, the extreme variance between thick and thin strokes lends boldness and body to the typeface.