RESEARCH POINT - History of Typography

The history of typography, printing and reading are all linked; what else can you find out about this history that you find interesting? Perhaps you are interested in a particular era, form of typography or particular area of reading. It might be a wide subject such as the history of the alphabet, or something very specific such as the use of typography in Film Noir, comics or American crime novels. Undertake some secondary research to find out more, taking notes along the way and collecting examples for your visual diary.

Typography Timeline

Below is a typography timeline of serif typefaces. I decided to concentrate on the Modern Didone typefaces of late1700s to early1800s. I tend to like sans serif typefaces that are bold. Since I'm constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone, I thought that researching an era so different from what I would usually go for would open up my mind. The typefaces of this era are very elegant and I noticed that this typeface is used so much in fashion magazines like Vogue and fashion brands such as Zara.

Fig. 1 History and evolution of typography (2019)

I found this YouTube video on the history of typography which I found helpful for a visual understanding of the overall history of typography.

(History of typography - Domestika, 2020)

Modern/Didone

This typeface is based on typefaces designed in the late1700s and early1800s by Giambattista Bodoni (Italian) and Firmin Didot (French).

"Modern serif typefaces are characterised by extreme stroke contrast, vertical stress and the use of hairlines and unbracketed serifs. Less readable than Old Style or Modern fonts, examples include Bodoni (by Italian engraver Giambattista Bodoni) and Didot". (Ambrose and Harris, 2010)

There are hundreds of typefaces designed by Bodoni. Approximately 25,000 of his type punches are housed in the Museo Bodoniano. His1818 book, Manuale Tipografico, (See Fig.2) contains over 140 Roman typefaces with matching italics. (Poulin, 2017)

Fig. 2 Manuale Tipografico. 1816 (2017)

Didot

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Didot family of Paris was involved in every aspect of publishing, printing, type design, punch cutting and paper manufacturing. It is commonly believed that Firmin Didot, grandson of the founder, produced the first Modern typeface in1784. When Didot was nineteen, he took over the type foundry from his father. (Poulin, 2017)

"A year later, he designed the first Modern typeface, characterized by thin slab-like, unbracketed serifs, a marked vertical stress and an abrupt transition from thick to thin strokes". (Poulin, 2017)

Fig.3 From an1852 pamphlet (2012)

Using wove paper and an improved printing press, the Didots reproduced these typographic details for the first time during this period. During the nineteenth century, Didot became the prevalent book typeface throughout France due to these innovative developments. Despite its age, it continues to be in use. (Poulin, 2017)

Fig.4 Specimen of the typeface Didot (2010)

Bodoni

One of the first modern typefaces was created by Giambattista Bodoni, a punch cutter, type designer and printer in the late 1800s. He was born in Northern Italy in 1740, the son of a printer.

French typeface designers Pierre Simon Fournier and Firmin Didot influenced Bodoni's work.

As a result, he developed the typeface Bodoni in 1798 using them as primary references. It was one of the first Modern typefaces to exhibit extreme contrasts of light and dark in its thick and thin strokes, as well as to have a vertical stress and razor-sharp serifs with unsupported brackets. (Poulin, 2017).

"When Bodoni's typefaces were introduced, they were considered somewhat abstract and radical. Thin, straight serifs, vertical axis and extreme contrast from thick to thin strokes were all radical departures from the visual characteristics of the earlier Transitional typefaces". (Poulin, 2017)

Fig. 5 Specimen of the Bodoni typeface (2012)

The psychology of serif fonts

History plays a major role in the psychology of fonts in a serif style. We perceive serif fonts as trustworthy and dependable because we associate them with heritage and can be found on:

Heritage - in historical artefacts and prints.,
Intellectual - in books and academic papers
Formal - on fancy invitations and high-end restaurant menus

Often used by well-established and respected institutions, including universities and banks, they have a powerful, defining font style.

In addition to colleges and financial institutions, which have used serif typefaces for decades or even centuries, businesses looking to appear established and trustworthy can use serif typefaces in their branding. In branding and communications, law firms, news channels and luxury fashion brands often use serif fonts to convey dependability. (Fussell, 2020)

Fashion magazines and brands

Researching the Didone era typefaces and their uses in the fashion industry today, I found this video on YouTube to gain more insight into why this typeface is used so much for high-end branding. From the 1940s, both Vogue and Harper's Bazaar adopted the Didot typeface with the emergence of photographed magazine covers.

(Craig Eliason - Didot and Fashion, 2018)

"A casual glance through the lexicon of fashion brands confirms that this Didone aesthetic is shorthand for luxury, refinement and a certain prissy / posh attitude". (Miller, 2007)

Below are samples of Didone typefaces used in the fashion industry and examples of the Didot and Bodoni typefaces.

Click on the image to see more.

The updated Zara logo has recently come under fire from designers. It features all the letters tightly condensed, packed together using the Didot typeface. My opinion is that I understand that the company wants to update the logo but to me it now reads "Zaba"

See link to the article here:

https://www.designboom.com/design/zara-new-logo-baron-baron-02-05-2019/

Fig. 6 Zara logo (2022)

Reflection

When I first read this question to research typography I wasn't really sure where to start. I decided to research a typeface history that I didn't particularly know and I was drawn to the Didone/Modern era of Didot and Bodoni typefaces. I realised as I was researching these typefaces, that high-end fashion magazines such as Vouge use this typeface. As I delved into the psychology of fonts as I did with the psychology of colours in the last unit, I found that certain typefaces have different roles to play, for example Slab serifs are used for large headings and advertising, Modern are popular with logotypes or scripts for invitations.

I don't really use these typefaces in designs but after researching this typeface I will definitely be experimenting more with modern typefaces.