&bodoni

giambattista

1798

modern

Bodoni came from a printmaking background, his father and grandfather both being in the trade. He was hired by the Duke Ferdinand of Bourban-Parma to organize a printing house. Bodoni reproduced letterforms with very thin “hairlines,” standing in sharp contrast to the thicker lines that constitute the main stems of the characters. His famous rivalry, with similar qualities, was designer Didot.