Bodoni Booklet by Julia Kent

giambattista

bodoni

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Bodoni

Origins

Characteristics

Bodoni excels in the craft area of type design, producing unparalleled hairlines, a radical addition in his time. Bodoni worked with the idea of the hand as influencing his typeface. The downward verticals, horizontal stresses, and the sloping bowls integrated the process of making with his own stark style.

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.

It also incorporates thin, unbracketed serifs. This contrast of thick and thin along with the crisp and perfected letterforms gave Bodoni a new and original character. The type created a scandal among society, some even going so far as to suggest reading type set in Bodoni would lead to blindness.

Beatrice Warde, an eminent typographic historian, in a famous essay, likened the perfect type to a crystal posthumously, which included over 100 fonts and other ornamental goblet. Her perfect

Biography type is transparent, or invisible, to the reader and allows the content to be enjoyed without coloration or distraction. Bodoni’s type is anything but a “crystal goblet.” Its 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. If used carefully, Bodoni type can create typography that is exceptionally beautiful, even elegant, but not particularly easy to read. If used poorly, Bodoni’s extreme weight contrast and vertical stress can cause a typographic effect, “dazzling,” which is visually uninviting and exceptionally disruptive to the reading process.

Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813) was a type-designer, typographer, printer, and publisher in Italy. Bodoni was born in Saluzzo. His father and grandfather had been printmakers before him, and he soon become a precocious creator of typefaces. He apprenticed at the Vatican polyglot Propaganda Fide printing press in Rome, where he excelled and soon rose up the ranks, even putting his name on his first books. After battling malaria, he moved to Parma where he eventually created his own printing house under his name, Officina Bodoni. Bodoni died on November 29, 1813 in Parma. His widow published his greatest work Manuale tipografico posthumously, which included over 100 fonts and other ornamental details.

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The letters donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get their tru

haste & di

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created with lov

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ue delight, when done in

s c o m fo r t ,

+++++++++++++++++++++ pa i n , b u t f i r s t w h e n t h e y a r e

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ve and passion. -Bodoni

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+++ Bodoni has a uncommonly low x-height, the height of the lower case in relation to the baseline.

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One of the characterisitics of Bodoni is the unbracketed hairline serifs. This means that the serifs do not slope in when connecting to the main vertical of the letter.

The main characteristic of Bodoni is the extreme contrast between thick and thin lines. The hairline strokes differ greatly from the bold strokes, creating a crisp and clean look that has character.

Bodoni uses ball terminals to give a humanistic feel to the sharp letters. This contrasts with the angular unbracketed hairline serifs. This contrast mirrors in the line weights and softens the overall effect of the letters.

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Bodoni and Didot

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The bowls in the lower case g in the Bodoni is smaller and more compact. This is due to the extreme thickness on the sides of the bowl that cut into the open area. The Didot g has more open space and a lighter feel. Remember this when comparing the weight of the paragraphs.

The bowl of the a connects severly to the stem of the letter on the Bodoni a, while the Didot a gently curves into the stem. The Didot is more organic and fluid, while the Bodoni uses a style similar to the hairline unbracketed serifs to give the letter a crisp and strong feel.

The final stroke in the a in the Bodoni exemplifies the thickness of Bodoniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letters. Instead of a subtle diagonal stroke, like in the Didot, the Bodoni a swoops down and hooks severly upwards, while also shifting from an ultra thick line to a narrower point.

Note the comparison between the width of the lower case â&#x20AC;&#x153;xâ&#x20AC;? in Bodoni versus Garamond. The difference in weight is highlighted in Bodoni, contrasting the subtly of Garamond. The lines of Bodoni are also sharper and have less curvy character. By comparing the serifs of Bodoni and Garamond, one can appreciate the difference betwee the unbracketed hairline serif, versus the bracketed serif in Garamond. The slant of letters in Bodoni has a steeper slope than that of Garamond. The horizontal slope of Bodoni takes the characteristics from humanist hands and exaggerates it.

The ball terminal in Bodoni is much more pronounced than the terminal in Garamond. Much like the serifs, Bodoni doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let the terminal slope into the rest of the letter, instead it stands alone from the body of the letter. 8

xx Bodoni and Garamond

“The sweltering hideousness of the Bodoni letter, the most illegible type that was ever cut, with its preposterous thicks and thins, has been mostly relegated to works that do not profess anything but the baldest utilitarianism (though why even utilitarianism should use illegible types, I fail to see).” “The sweltering hideousness of the Bodoni letter, the most illegible type that was ever cut, with its preposterous thicks and thins, has been mostly relegated to works that do not profess anything but the baldest utilitarianism (though why even utilitarianism should use illegible types, I fail to see).” Quote by

Didot Didot, like Bodoni, is a modern typeface. Born from Garamond and Baskerville, the transitional step between the two, Didot and Bodoni use similar characterstics. However, the overall weight of the typefaces are different. Didot is more ornate with wispy elements and subtle variation between thick and thin. This makes it easier to read as body text, but undermines its impact on the page.

Bodoni Note the overall weight of Bodoni. The thick and the thin makes the type appear heavier and darker in color on the page. Becuase of, Bodoni is more often use sparingly for call outs or titles, as opposed to full body text. The commercial feel of Bodoni made it popular for advertising.

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Bibliography +++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Haley, Allan. Typographic Milestones. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992. (SC: Z250 A2 H18 1992 4o)

York: RC Publications, 2000.

Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990. (SC: Z250 L34 1990)

Facsimile a cura de Giovanni Mardersteig, Verona: Editiones Officinae Bodoni, 1968.

(A&A: Z250.R45 2000)

+++++ + +Alexander + + +S. + + +of+a Typeface. + + + + + +Bodoni, + +Giambattista. + + + +Manuale + + Tipografico, ++++ +++++ Lawson, Anatomy 1788. Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks,1997. (A&A: Z246 B745 1996 and Vault)

(SC: Z232 B66 1788a 4o)

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Bodoni, + +Giambattista. + + + +Preface + +to+the+Manuale +++++++ Jaspert, W. Pincus. The Encyclopaedia of Typefaces. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press; New York: Distributed in the U.S. by Sterling, 1983.

Tipografico of 1818, translated by H. V. Marrot, London: Lion & Unicorn Press, 1953. (SC: Z232 B66 1953)

(SC:+Z250 +++++ + J36 + 1983) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cleland, T. M. Giambattista Bodoni of Parma. Boston: Society of Printers, 1916. (SC: Z232 B66 C5)

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Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces, essays ... [et + +++ + by +Carolyn + + Annand +++ +al.]; ++ edited by Philip B. Meggs and Roy McKelvey, New

http://www.linotype.com http://www.fonts.com

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Typography 1 Spring Semester 2013 Bodoni Lazer +Printed + +on+HP+Color ++ + Jet +