Bodoni

Originally designed by Giambattista Bodoni (1740 – 1813) in 1798, the Bodoni typeface (see Figure One) has come to be recognised as a series of serif typefaces. Although a pioneering design during its inception (Lupton, 2004, p. 42), the Bodoni typeface has surpassed the vision of its designer, to develop a font, which would express the values of the contemporary aesthetic; current typographers praising the design for its longevity and applicability in the present design climate (Kane, 2002, p. 12).

Figure One: from Bodoni’s Manuale Tipografico

Saturated in a printmaking environment in Eighteenth Century Rome and Parma, and afforded the rare luxury of time and money to devote to his passion in studied typography (Haley, 1992, p. 46), Giambattista Bodoni sought to fashion a typeface, which was to be appreciated as a work of art, valued for its aesthetic qualities, measured above, Haley (1992, p. 46) asserts, its instructive qualities. Studying the advancements made by typographer John Baskerville in his Baskerville type, and the designs of typographers Pierre Simon Fournier and Firmin Didot, the creation of Bodoni’s ‘regal’ typeface (Haley, 1992, p. 46), was revolutionised by concurrent technical advancements in copperplate engraving, permitting his delicateness and intricacy of detail (White, 2005, p. 51). As such, White (2005, pp. 52 – 53) classifies Bodoni’s typeface, along with Firmin Didot’s, Didot, as the evolutionary Modern Didone Serif faces, characterised by their emphasis on a stylistic, engineered quality, as demonstrated by their high stroke contrast and unbracketed serifs.

Bodoni’s typeface has been appropriated and elements emulated in adaptations of the original font. The Bodoni typeface, AFT Bodoni, fashioned by Morris Fuller Benton in 1907 and Louis Höll’s Bauer Bodoni, of 1926, are two of the most widely used and recognised adaptations of Bodoni (Kane, 2002, p. 35). However, the original Bodoni typeface of 1798, being one of Giambattista Bodoni’s later endeavours of typographical exploration (Kane, 2002, p. 34), is the subject of the following description. Lupton (2004, p. 42) describes Giambattista Bodoni’s typeface as ‘radically abstract.’ This account may be attributed to the stylistic decision to emphasise contrast between strokes, the vertical, rather than angled axes and the horizontal and unbracketed serifs, which are indeed, are the characterising elements of the Modern Didone Serif typeface (White, 2005, pp. 52-53). Bodoni’s typeface further stresses a more vertical and condensed uppercase than, for example, Baskerville, whose work Bodoni closely followed (Haley, 1992, p. 46). Another critical point of difference between Bodoni and his contemporaries, which Haley (1992, p. 48) highlights, is his attention to the gradual transition of weight in the strokes and the continuation of bracketing serifs, however slight, rather than Didot’s fixedly unbracketed serifs. Accordingly, although one may classify Bodoni as a pioneer of the Modern Didone Serif, there is a decided tribute to the Transitional, ‘old style’ Serif (Haley, 1992, p. 48).

Whilst the longevity of Bodoni and the enthusiasm to adapt the typeface is testament to its success, its suitability as a read text is largely agreed to be flawed (Kinross, 1992, p. 21). This is attributed, by William Morris, to the ‘rivers of white,’ which leak vertically onto the page, and into which, the extremely thin strokes of the text would disappear (Kinross, 1992, p. 47). Rather, the success of Bodoni lies in its legibility and charisma as a display typeface (White, 2005, p. 53).

Haley (1992, p. 46) states that Giambattista Bodoni would not have been perturbed if confronted with the modern uses of his typeface, perhaps not being exercised in the realm he envisioned for his design. However, Bodoni is praised for remaining ‘always just slightly behind the radical modernism of his contemporary,’ which may explain the longevity of the typeface, rather than a design so radical as to be viewed a mere fad (Haley, 1992, p. 48).

References

Haley, A. (1992). Typographic milestones. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kane, J. (2002). A type primer. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.

Kinross, R. (1992). Modern typography, an essay in critical history. London: Hyphen Press.

Lupton, E. (2004). Thinking with type. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

White, A. (2005). Thinking in type, the practical philosophy of typography. New York: Allworth Press.