Bodoni
a typeface
“The letters don’t get their true delight when done in haste & discomfort, nor merely done with diligence & pain, but first when they are created with love and passion.” —Giambattista Bodoni
1
Giambattista, the designer
A twenty-eight -year-old Bodoni was asked to take charge of the Stamperia Reale, the official press of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, as a private printer to the court. He printed official documents and publications desired by the Duke, in addition to projects conceived and initiated by Bodoni. His initial design influence was Fournier le Jeune, whose foundry supplied type and ornaments to the Stamperia Reale after Bodoni took charge. The quality of Bodoni’s design and printing, even though scholarship and proofreading were sometimes lacking, created a growing international reputation. In 1790, the Vatican invited Bodoni to Rome to establish a press for printing the classics there, but the Duke countered with an offer of expanded facility and a privilege of printing for other clients. Bodoni elected to remain in Parma.
3 Origin of the Typeface
Bodoni was no revolutionary. The modern roman style, which is attributed to him, did not spring forth as if by magic. When he was young, the work of John Baskerville served as his ideal. In later years, the work of his great Parisian competitor, Francois Didot, influenced him dramatically. Bodoni was always, in some manner, dependent on the work of other, bolder contemporaries. Yet despite these influences, he was not a copyist. A comparison of Bodoni’s type to Didot’s two designs that on the surface may appear virtually identical is a perfect example. There are distinct similarities in their work, and Bodoni surely studied Didot’s designs very carefully, but a close examination reveals that Bodoni’s weight transitions are more gradual and his serifs still maintain a slight degree of bracketing. He carefully evaluated the designs of his great competitor, consciously remaining, however, always just slightly behind the radical modernism of his contemporary. Perhaps this explains to some degree the longevity of Bodoni’s type designs. They were radical enough to be considered new and different, but not so different that they became the 18th-century versions of fad designs.
U Characteristics
Bodoni created typefaces and typography to impress the eye. Few would deny that Bodoni’s typefaces are beautiful; unfortunately, few would say they are also easy to read. By current standards, his
designs are, in fact, the antithesis of what an easily readable typeface should be. However, his goal
was not to create typography to be appreciated by
the masses. His books and other printing exercises were large regal efforts meant to be looked upon
and appreciated as works of art, rather than as mere pieces of communication. Bodoni’s hairline serifs, strong thick-and-thin stroke contrast, and abrupt weight changes cloud the reading process. Bodoni is no quiet servant to the communication process; it is a design that demands attention.
cap height
x–height
Bodoni Typeface counter
bowl
stem
ascender
terminal
bracket
descender
serif
Bodoni 72 ITC TT Bodoni’s elegant typeface has inspired many modern revivals. Some notables include Morris Fuller Benton’s, Bodoni Old Face by G.G. Lange, and Tom Carnasse’s WTC Our Bodoni. In addition to the Roman, Italic, and Bold fonts some type families include other variations
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Book
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Book Italic
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Bold
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Small Caps
such as Ultrabold, Condensed and Small Caps.
Bodoni MT
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Book
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Italic
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Bold
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. Ultra Bold
5
Defining Characteristics
U When used carefully, Bodoni type can create
typography that is exceptionally beautiful, even elegant, but not particularly easy to read.
Bodoni’s defining characteristics that make it such
an elegant typeface are the large contrast between thick and thin, the barely bracketed serifs and
the vertical stress on the rounded strokes. Other characteristics that give Bodoni its beautiful
appearance are its cupped top serifs, ball–shaped terminals and thin, ovular counters.
o b
The uppercase letter U is a perfect example to demonstrate Bodoni’s gradual transition from thick to thin. Subtle brackets connect the thin, rounded serifs to the tops of either strokes. This letter is also representative of one of Bodoni’s characteristics, the ovular counter.
Ovular Counters
J r l U Ball–shaped Terminal
Cupped Top Serifs
7
Comparisons
As striking as Bodoni’s types are, however, he was no revolutionary. When he was young, the work of John Baskerville served as his ideal; when Bodoni opened his first printing office for the Duke of Parma,
AA he did so with type from Fournier, the French printer and publisher. In later years, the work of his great
Parisian competitor, François Didot, influenced him dramatically. While there are distinct similarities in
the two designers’ work, a close examination reveals that the weight transitions of Bodoni’s designs
are more gradual, and serifs still maintain a slight
degree of bracketing. There is even a hint of old style traits in Bodoni’s fonts. Didot designs, however, are
quintessential neoclassical fonts with geometrically
precise hairline serifs and a rigid vertical stroke stress.
Bodoni
Didot
curved serifs
no brackets on hairline serifs
minimal bracketing on serifs
extreme thicks and thins
tip comes to a point
high crossbar
low cross bar
tip is flat
crossbar is thinnest stroke
M MM Didot
Bodoni
Baskerville
AA minimal bracketing
hairline serif
bracketed serifs
middle does not touch baseline
extreme thicks and thins
short, but wide letter size
thin lines meet thicks at corners
middle tip is straight not pointed
narrow letter
Baskerville
bracketing on slab serifs wide and short letter tip is flat
curved serif ball terminal small space between terminal and stroke
j
Bodoni
straight serif circular terminal large contrast between hook and stroke
j j slanted serif short letter almost no hook to terminal
Didot
Baskerville
9
1
Q Bodoni
Q Didot
Q Baskerville
R R R
Bodoni bowl extends further than curve in bottom ball terminal bracketed serifs curve where stroke meets bowl curved counters
Didot counters straight on one side extreme thicks and thins thin terminal slab serifs
Baskerville bracketed slab serifs diagonal extension slab terminal wide letter
Bodoni
Didot
Baskerville
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
narrow letters large contrast of thick and thin metric kerning is closed overall darkest color
11
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wide letters extreme thicks and thins open kerning open leading overall lightest color
1234567890
wide letters bracketed serifs less constrast of thicks and thins overall darker color than Didot
1234567890
1
Bibliography
1 Philip B. Meggs, A History of Graphic Design (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992), 124. 2 Alexander S. Lawson, Anatomy of a Typeface (Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990), 46, 48. 3 Alexander S. Lawson, Anatomy of a Typeface (Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990), 46, 49, 50. 4 Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style (Point Roberts, WA: Hartley & Marks, 1992), 217, 218. Haley, Allan. Typographic Milestones. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992. (SC: Z250 A2 H18 1992 4o) Lawson, Alexander S. Anatomy of a Typeface. Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990. (SC: Z250 L34 1990) Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks,1997. (A&A: Z246 B745 1996 and Vault) Jaspert, W. Pincus. The Encyclopaedia of Typefaces. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press; New York: Distributed in the U.S. by Sterling, 1983. (SC: Z250 J36 1983) Cleland, T. M. Giambattista Bodoni of Parma. Boston: Society of Printers, 1916. (SC: Z232 B66 C5)
This book was designed by Jessica Yeung for Typography I during the fall semester of 2010. The fonts used were Univers and Bodoni 72 ITC. This book was printed in the Communication Design lab printer in Bixby 213 of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
“A designer should only use these 5 typefaces: Bodoni, Helvetica, Times Roman, Century, Futura.” —Massimo Vegnelli