martinez-didot font

History Of The Didot Font Typeface

The history of the Didot font type began in Paris in 1783 by a man named Firmin Didot (1765-1836). Firmin was a 3rd generation printer of the popular and multi-talented Didot family who were active designers for about 100 years during the 18th and 19th centuries. They were printers, publishers, typeface designers, inventors, authors and intellectuals. In 1800, the Didot family owned the most important print shop and font foundry in France it was located at Essonnes, a town c. 30 km southeast of Paris near Corbeil, which had notable paper factories and their printing company still exists today under the name Firmin Didot. France is indebted to the Didot family for the publication of the Biographie Nationale, and Belgium is also indebted for the establishment of her Royal Press.
In 1783, Firmin designed the Didot typeface for his brother to publish in his next book while ushering in the “Modern Style” typeface. A style/period that is characterized by extreme vertical stress and fine hairlines contrasted by bold main strokes. Didot is described as neoclassical, and is evocative of the Age of Enlightenment. He invented the word "stereotype", which in printing refers to the metal printing plate created for the actual printing of pages (as opposed to printing pages directly with movable type), and used the process extensively, revolutionizing the book trade by his cheap editions. His manufactory was a place of pilgrimage for the printers of the world. Didot abandoned the hand penned style for cleaner more precise vertical strokes, with high contrasts between thin and thick strokes, and almost no brackets on the serifs. Because of their very fine hairline strokes that are characteristic of Modern Romans their use was restricted in metal types, but suitable for elegant book and magazines. Today you can find Didot font type on Harper’s Bazzar, and the Ally McBeal show.

Concept: I think I’m going to go with a French restaurant menu design for my theme since the didot font type was invented and is well known in France. It will include an illustration of the Eiffel Tower and a cartoon of a typical French chef with the catfish mustache and hint in the background of a façade of a nice restaurant and a wine bottle with grapes and other French iconic symbols in the menu.