Prior to creating a manifesto for my own typeface, a group of us looked at Bodoni in more detail and created our own manifesto for one of the classics. We looked at the Italian origins of Bodoni in 1817, as well as the common uses for the typeface now. It seems little has changed within the connotations of Bodoni, as it seems it was created for a 'refined class', personifying luxury in a time of trouble.
Manifesto:-
"Bodoni epitomises Italian class and prosperity, focusing on elegance. Initially used to publish 'Dante le Vita Nova', a popular Italian Poem book, the characteristics of rounded ears/ descenders combined with sharp ascenders/ serifs have stead the test of time. Created as a transitional typeface between Foundries and Baskerville, the upper and lower cases contain individual structural qualities whilst maintaining a sleek consistent style*."
*This was massively important as few people at the time of creation read (generally only the wealthy), alongside type in general being mass produced for Biblical references and studies.
Other groups also had the same task of creating a manifesto for the other 8 typefaces, all of which are seen below...
This session also had us brainstorming ideas related to our given word for our own typeface, as well as creating design decision rationale.
From this it is evident I need to be looking at a Slab Serif and initially experimenting in upper case. Berthold bold stood out to my peers as the most suitable choice to take reference from, but it cannot be so fat/ in your face it is illegible when written regularly. We also discussed how specific Kerning would effect the appearance- yet John raised a valid point that the kerning comes later and shouldn't influence key design decisions within each letter form.
http://www.thetypefoundry.com
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