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BODONI
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G I A M BAT T I S TA B O D O N I
A twenty–eight –year–old Bodoni was asked to take charge of the Stamperia Reale, the official press of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma. Bodoni accepted and became the 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 and offer of expanded facility and a privilege of printing for other clients. Bodoni elected to remain in Parma.
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AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOo Bodoni, 20 pt
C H A R AC T E R I S T I C S
O
Bodoni created typefaces and typography to impress the eye. His designs were studied efforts meant to be seen as well as read. 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. Had he known this fact, however, Bodoni would probably not have been very upset. 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. Beatrice Warde, an eminent typographic historian, in a famous essay, likened the perfect type to a crystal goblet. Her perfect 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.
vertical stress
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oPpQqRrSsTtUVvWwXxYyZz
Bodoni’s strong contrast between strokes and abrupt weight changes make the typeface beautiful, but difficult to read, especially at small point sizes.
unbracketed hairline serifs
xAye 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.
thick, vertical stems
In his Manuale Tipografico of 1818, Bodoni laid down the four principles of type design “from which all beauty would seem to proceed,” namely: regularity, clarity, good taste, and charm.
cap height x–height
baseline
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AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnO Didot, 20 pt
C O M PA R I S O N S
Bodoni was no revolutionary. The modern roman style, which is attributed to him, did not, as many would believe, spring forth as if by magic. While the letters he cut and the books he printed were more refined and of exceptionally higher quality than most of the work originating before or during his lifetime, it would be difficult to classify any of Bodoni’s efforts as fundamentally new. When he was young, the work of John Baskerville served as his ideal; when he opened his first printing office for the Duke of Parma, Bodoni did so with type from Fournier. 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.
1) Didot, 600pt 2) Baskerville, 600 pt 3) Bodoni, 600pt
As can be seen by the image on the right, while all three typefaces have similar stroke weights, Bodoni and Didot take Baskerville’s transitions to a greater extreme and have unbracketed serifs.
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OoPpQqRrSsTtUVvWwXxYyZz
1 2 3
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AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoP Baskerville, 20 pt
Bodoni, 300 pt Centaur, 300 pt
Oldstyle is closely related to calligraphy, and its shift in stroke weights correspond to the effect of writing with a nib pen. While Bodoni emulates the weight transitions of oldstyle and calligraphy, it brought it to new extremes, paving the way for future typefaces that were completely disconnected from calligraphy.
PpPpP Bodoni, 100pt: Modern
Baskerville, 100pt: Transitional
Bodoni’s serifs are less bracketed and more severe than Baskerville’s serifs, but are slightly more bracketed than Didot’s serifs and have a less radical weight transition.
Bodoni
Centaur, 100p
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PpQqRrSsTtUVvWwXxYyZz
Bodoni is similar to Didot, but a close examination reveals that Bodoni’s weight transitions are more gradual. Didot, 200 pt Bodoni, 200 pt
Yet despite these influences, he was not a copyist. A comparison of Bodoni’s type to Didot’s 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. There is even hint of “old style” in Bodoni’s work. He followed Didot’s lead, carefully evaluating 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 (to establish for Bodoni an important and influential place in current typographic circles), but not so different that they became the 18th–century versions of fad designs.
pt: Oldstyle
Pp Baskerville
Didot
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Bodoni
Baskerville
Didot
Bodoni’s ball terminals are rounder than both Baskerville’s and Didot’s.
GGG Bodoni’s G lacks a spur, while Baskerville and Didot do not.
Bodoni’s ascenders retain some of the old flair of Baskerville, while Didot’s ascenders are extreme and flat.
Bodoni
Baskerville
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o o o o o o Bodoni
Baskerville
Didot
Bodoni’s counters are skinnier, emphasizing the typeface’s vertical stress.
QQQ The tail on Bodoni’s Q is centered, and has less of a flourish.
Didot
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Bodoni, 30 pt, bold italic
“ The letters do not get their true delight, when done in haste and discomfort, nor merely done with diligence and pain, but first when they are created with love and passion.� — Giambattista Bodoni
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9/12
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes. 10/13
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes. 11/14
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes. 12/15
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes. 14/17
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes. 18/22
Bodoni type can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Baskerville can be difficult to read at small point sizes. Didot can be difficult to read at small point sizes.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Haley, Allan. Typographic Milestones. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992. Lawson, Alexander S. Anatomy of a Typeface. Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990. Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks, 1997. Jaspert, W. Pincus. The Encyclopaedia of Typefaces. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press; New York: Distributed in the U.S. by Sterling, 1983. Cleland, T. M. Giambattista Bodoni of Parma. Boston: Society of Printers, 1916. Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces, essays by Carolyn Annand ... [et al.]; edited by Philip B. Meggs and Roy McKelvey, New York: RC Publications, 2000. Bodoni, Giambattista. Manuale Tipografico, 1788. Facsimile a cura de Giovanni Mardersteig, Verona: Editiones Officinae Bodoni, 1968. Bodoni, Giambattista. Preface to the Manuale Tipografico of 1818, translated by H. V. Marrot, London: Lion & Unicorn Press, 1953. Bil’ak, Peter. “Typotheque: Beauty and Ugliness in Type Design.” N.p., 2012. Web. <http://www.typotheque.com/articles/beauty_and_ ugliness_in_type_design>.
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This book was printed and designed by Karly Nelson in Fall 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. The fonts used in this book were Bodoni MT, Didot, Baskerville, Centaur MT, and DIN. This book was produced using InDesign CS6 and printed on 28 lb paper.