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.

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
- Fat Face (ファットフェイス)Same Type Classification lineage.Compare Didone and Fat Face
- Minimalism (ミニマリズム)Shared effects: Calm.Compare Didone and Minimalism
Often confused with
More from Type Classification
Continue through styles in the same Type Classification family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Roman Square Capitals (ローマン・キャピタル)Shared effects: Luxury.
- Blackletter (ブラックレター)Shared effects: Luxury.
- Old Style Serif (オールドスタイル・ローマン)Shared effects: Calm.
Browse all Type Classification entries
Cite this entry
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- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/didone
- Markdown
- [Didone — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/didone)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/didone">Didone — IndexStyle</a>