No designer’s work has been more often imitated than that of
Giambattista Bodoni. This is hardly surprising. Bodoni was a
genius who created some of the most beautiful and majestic
typefaces ever produced. Yet the designs of this 18th century
master are also among the most difficult to accurately revive.
ITC Bodoni Twelve History The reason for this difficulty is
Bodoni’s own prolific creativity. Bodoni cut so many typefaces,
in so many sizes, that choosing a design source from which to
work is problematic. Even experts disagree over which is the
best foundation for a proper revival of Bodoni’s work. There’s
also the challenge of how to accurately represent Bodoni’s
incredibly rich stylistic palette. Bodoni cut over two hundred
fonts, all in the same basic style, but varying in size,
proportion and weight. Much of the strength and power of
Bodoni’s printing results from his ability to use the absolutely
optimal design for any given application. In addition to
impeccable taste, Bodoni always had exactly the fo