Didone

ディドーネ / late 18th century– / Style / Type Classification

A constructed roman that pushes the contrast of hairline and thick vertical stem to its limit, standing at once as the terminus of the Age of Reason and as a sign of luxury.

Didone — Bodoni, Manuale Tipografico 1818 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Bodoni, Manuale Tipografico 1818 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

  • Extreme contrast
  • Vertical stress
  • Hairline serifs
  • Mathematical construction

Best used for

  • Fashion covers and headlines set large enough to carry an air of rank
  • Cosmetic and jewellery packaging where a few words are placed quietly

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Dictionary entry

Type
Set large with a touch of tracking, never small enough to lose hairlines
Composition
Nearly symmetrical composition with deep top and bottom margins stressing the horizontal
Material
Black or one color on white stock, foil or letterpress keeping edges crisp
Caution
At text sizes or on coarse screens the hairlines vanish, and what was elegance becomes a headline that is simply hard to read.
Further study
Giambattista Bodoni / Firmin Didot / Manuale Tipografico

Related entries

Often confused with

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https://indexstyle.org/styles/didone
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[Didone — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/didone)
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