SR1: Gemma Williams

Bodoni is a series of typefaces created by Italian typographer Giambattista Bodoni in 1798. This serif typeface is classified as Didone modern.

Giambattista Bodoni was the son of a printer and understood the skills and techniques of the printing profession. At the age of 18 he began work as a typesetter for the Vatican’s Propaganda Fide printing house in Rome. Here he became interested in oriental and exotic typefaces. Later in his career, Bodoni became very interested in the work of John Baskerville who was known for his transitional typeface. Bodoni was influenced by Baskerville’s ideas, which broke away from the standards in type design at the time. These ideas included the design of type that had a more open letterform and an increased stroke contrast.

Bodoni was also heavily influenced by French typographers Pierre Simon Fournier and Firmin Didot. Some think that Bodoni was too influenced by Didot as there are striking similarities between the two designers’ work. However under close examination many differences can be seen such as the more gradual weight transitions as well as the bracketing on the serifs in Bodoni’s designs. Didot’s designs have very thin serifs and more vertical strokes.

Other notable characteristics of this typeface include the double story, lower case ‘a’, the centred tail underneath upper case ‘Q’ and the very slight hook of upper case ‘J’.

The typography Bodoni produced is still regarded as some of the most refined and structured printing ever produced. He is remembered for his elegant and sophisticated typefaces, which he developed in the late 18^th century. These typefaces remained popular throughout the 19^thcentury and have been modernised by contemporary designers.

The first modern revival of Bodoni was designed by American typographer Morris Fuller Benton in 1910. Benton tried to choose the best qualities of Bodoni when designing his typeface, which would serve as the foundation for every new Bodoni to follow in the next 80 years.

‘Bodoni Classic’ designed by Gert Wiescher is said to be one of the closest interpretations of Bodoni’s original typeface. It embraces several characteristics not found in other interpretations of Bodoni’s work. These include the ball serif on the tail of upper case ‘R’ and the cursive strokes of italic lower case ‘v’, ‘w’, ‘x’ and ‘y’.

Bodoni’s extreme contrast in stroke weight and hairline serifs often make it difficult to use. When used for body text it can be very hard to read, however when used for headlines it can create a sophisticated and elegant tone when other typefaces demand attention.

In recent years Bodoni has been used increasingly by designers for visual identities, posters and promotional items, demonstrating how versatile and elegant Bodoni can be.

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http://www.gingkopress.com/ima/i-love-type-03-bodoni_i2.html

References:

‘Illuminating Letter: Bodoni’ (2009) Retrieved 4^th March 2012 from: http://www.itcfonts.com/NR/rdonlyres/

‘A Brief History of Type’ (2008) Retrieved 4^th March 2012 from: http://ilovetypography.com/2008/05/30/a-brief-history-of-type-part-4/

‘Font Designer: Giambattista Bodoni’ (2010) Retrieved 4^th March 2012 from: http://www.linotype.com/683/giambattistabodoni.html

‘A Brief History of the King of Printers: Giambattista Bodoni’ (2009) Retrieved 4^th March 2012 from: http://theartofmessmer.com/images/Bodoni.pdf

‘Bodoni: Typography Guidebook’ (2011) Retrieved 4^th March 2012 from: http://www.slideshare.net/mlepapp/bodoni-guidebook-6552933