SR1 - Sandra Stepien

Bodoni is a series of serif typefaces designed by Giambattista Bodoni (1740–1813) in 1798 that today we classify as Modern. Often remarked as "the father of modern type"¹ Bodoni was an Italian engraver, publisher, printer and typographer of high repute who came from a printmaking background. The son of a printer, he first served as an apprentice at the Propaganda Fide printing house in Rome and was later hired by the Duke Ferdinand of Bourbon-Parma where he achieved an unprecedented level of technical refinement due to his meticulous design and print quality. Eventually his success from printing many important works led him to open his own printing house in 1791, Officina Bodoni². 

During his early career Bodoni first orientated himself towards the fonts of Pierre Fournier but soon developed his own original typefaces. Bodoni abandoned the forerunning Old Style typefaces and drew influence from the high stroke contrast which marked the types of John Baskerville, for whom he showed great admiration for. Bodoni however, took the design to a more extreme, clinical conclusion as he believed that well-designed type derived its beauty from four principles: uniformity of design, sharpness and neatness, good taste, and charm³.

Bodoni’s original typeface, along with many of its later interpretations, is a romantic font that is easily identifiable by thin, hairline strokes that contrast sharply with bold stems. Additional defining qualities include crisp vertical stress and un-bracketed serifs although some letters possess soft bracketing such as the uppercase letters R and S. The result is a typeface celebrating simplified, geometric shapes with a classic and refined demeanour. His plain and unadorned aesthetic attracted many admirers and imitators and ultimately gained worldwide acceptance among printers.

Due to the thin, peculiar qualities of its letters, Bodoni is not an easy typeface to use. Its extreme contrast coupled with the strong vertical stress is not suited for body copy text as the vertical nature of the letters impedes with the horizontal flow of reading. Interestingly, William Morris described Bodoni as “sweltering hideousness” and “the most illegible type that was ever cut”⁴ and failed to see any use for it. However that said, it is  advised that for best results and legibility, Bodoni should be set large enough so that the hairlines are preserved, ample white space is given and additional leading and generous margins are provided. Its limited range of functions is confined to headlines, logos and fashion magazines however, when used well; Bodoni almost always makes a refined, polish and sophisticated statement.

Top to Bottom: Armani Exchange (Fashion), Calvin Klein (Fashion), Elizabeth Arden (Cosmetics)

Bauer Bodoni Black used as CMU's wordmark

Bodoni used for titles on calenders

Today Bodoni exists in many modern interpretations such as Bodoni Classic, ITC Bodoni™ Filosophia, and Lanston Bodoni. However, whatever the application or type, Bodoni will always show a radical movement in typography history and exude elegance, luxury and quality.

References

¹ Thomas Christensen, accessed 20 July 2012, <http://www.rightreading.com/typehead/bodoni.htm#history>

² John Boardley 2008, accessed 21 July 2012, <http://ilovetypography.com/2008/05/30/a-brief-history-of-type-part-4/>

³ Taschen 2012, accessed 18 July 2012, <http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/design/all/05059/facts.bodoni_manual_of_typography_manuale_tipografico_1818.htm>

⁴ The Art and Craft of Printing 2012, accessed 20 July, <http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/morris/william/art-and-craft-of-printing/chapter4.html>