Giambattista Bodoni

When I think of graphic design, I think of it as a product of the modern era. I don’t think of the 18^th century. Giambattista Bodoni was an Italian born designer born in 1740 who created the Bodoni type font. At first glance this may not seem impressive considering the vast resources that are at our disposal in today’s electronic world. However, in the 18^th century,   when information needed to be committed to paper through a difficult printing process, books were considered luxuries. Font was an important element of books. Bodoni engraved 298 typefaces which he used to produce books for the wealthy individuals of the day. One of his most prized works was his edition of the Iliad printed in 1808. Shortly after his death in 1813, his widow published his Il Manuale Tipografico (The Manual of Typography) in which he outlined his approach to typography.

“His type was characterised by a severe simplicity. In his influential Manuale Tipografico of 1818, he laid down the four principles of type design "from which all beauty would seem to proceed", which were: regularity, cleanness, good taste, and charm.” (Identifont.com)

It’s easy to take font for granted but when I think about how it’s created, I realize I have no understanding of the process at all. The creation of typeface seems to be a process which combines craftsmanship with artistry. While I personally am not a fan of this family of font from practical perspective, I do appreciate its artistic merit. Further, I respect the fact that it is consistent with Bodoni’s four principles of regularity, cleanness, good taste, and charm.

Samples of Bodoni type font

Bodoni MT

Bodoni Poster Compressed

Bodoni MT Condensed

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giambattista_Bodoni

Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813), Identifont,  n.p., n.d.,  retrieved from http://www.identifont.com/show?22Q