Bodoni

Using the right typeface goes unnoticed because it simply makes sense.

Using the wrong typeface sends all the wrong messages. It makes the words less legible, less believable.

Bodoni is a rational serif typeface created in 1790 by Giambattista Bodoni in Parma, Italy. It was cut to illustrate the unprecedented level of technical refinement of his own printing studio.  

Characteristics include heavy strokes that abruptly reduce hairlines, long, thin serifs and distinct ball terminals. The leg of the ‘R’ and the tail of the ‘Q’ reference the stroke of a pen. Bodoni is delicate, light to the touch.

Over the years it’s been reviled, revived, refined, repurposed, and reset. Bauer Bodoni is the most faithful to the original.

A comparable typeface is Filosofia designed by Zuzana Licko in 1996 and features thicker hairlines for improved display in smaller sizes.


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