“Bodoni is one of the most elegant typefaces ever designed. When I talk about elegance, I mean intellectual elegance. Elegance of the mind.� -Massimo Vignelli
was designed by Giambattista Bodoni, who was often referred to as the King of Printers in 1789. It is a series of serif typefaces influenced by John Baskerville. Bodoni is part of the 18th century modern trend of extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, unbracketed serifs and strong vertical stress. Some characteristics of Bodoni include the square jot over the letter “i” and a double story “a”. The capital “Q” tail is centered under the figure, and the uppercase “J” has a slight hook. Also, there are two versions of the uppercase “R”, one with a straight tail and one with a curved tail.
The main identifying characteristic of the typeface is it's easily recognizable Romantic typeface with 10/12 pt Bodoni Book a vertical stress and slight serif bracketing. Being considered on of the first modern typefaces, it is widely used for displays, posters, headlines and logos; especially in the fashion scene. Bodoni was also part of the modern 18th century fashion that grew for 12/14 pt faces with a stronger Bodoni Book contrast between the Justify thick and thins, unbracketed serifs and strong vertical stress, whereas all the older type faces became to be known as old-style. Giamattista Bodoni characterized the font by its simplicity and
11/11 pt Bodoni Book
12/14 pt Bodoni Book
Besides being the logotype for high-end fashion labels, Bodoni is also used in fashion magazine spreads, magazine covers and posters, due to its pleasant aesthetics when set in bigger sizes.
B
odoni marked the end of the calligraphy and ushered in a new era of industrialized printing methods with modern fonts, with Giambattista Bodoni credited as the “inventor” of modern roman typefaces.
Bodoni was widely used, being the font of choice from 18thcentury Italian books to 1960s periodicals. In the 21st century, the late manner versions continue to be used in advertising, while the early manner versions are occasionally used for fine book printing. However, this typeface is generally not suited for setting big bodies of text, as the verticality of the letter forms interferes with the text’s horizontal rhythm.
12/14 pt Bodoni Book
11/12 pt Bodoni Book
History by IFOUNDMEDINOSAURS.WORDPRESS.COM
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
Book
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Book Italic
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Roman
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Italic
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
“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 9/14 Bodoni Book
Bold
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Bold Italic
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Bold Condensed
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Poster Compressed
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Poster
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Poster Italic
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Book
Book Italics
Roman
Italic
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Bold
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Bold Condensed
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Bold Italic
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Poster
Poster Italic
Poster Compressed
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