DaFontFonts

Bodoni Font

The high-contrast serif of fashion and luxury

Giambattista Bodoni (1790s), revived by many foundries · Didone (modern) serif · 1798 · ! Bodoni MT bundled with Office, other cuts paid

Download Free Alternative

Bodoni Moda · closest free match to Bodoni

Bodoni font poster: ivory high-contrast Bodoni headline on black with a beam of lightBodoni style serif on a fashion magazine cover and a black perfume boxBodoni style character set: uppercase and lowercase alphabet, numbers and symbols

Illustrations of the Bodoni style made for DaFontFonts. Letterforms are approximate; check the official specimen before you buy.

Download Bodoni

License:
Bodoni MT bundled with Office, other cuts paid
Font Type:
System font
Download:
Free alternative: Bodoni Moda (OFL-1.1)
Format:
TTF
Total Files:
12 styles + licence
Download Free Alternative

Bodoni itself is not free to download. This button gives you Bodoni Moda, the closest free match, licensed for commercial use. Bodoni MT on Microsoft Typography

About Bodoni

Giambattista Bodoni was the court printer in Parma, Italy, and his types from the late 1700s pushed contrast to the extreme: hairline serifs with no bracketing, very thin horizontals and heavy verticals, all set on a strict vertical axis. The style is now called Didone, after Bodoni and the Didot family in Paris, who worked in the same direction.

Dozens of digital revivals exist. Bauer Bodoni and ITC Bodoni are favourites of designers, and Microsoft Office ships Monotype's Bodoni MT. At large sizes Bodoni looks glamorous and dramatic, which is why it dominates fashion magazines, perfume packaging and luxury logos, but its hairlines get fragile in small text.

Where Bodoni works best

  • Fashion magazines and covers
  • Luxury and beauty branding
  • Perfume and cosmetics packaging
  • Large editorial headlines

Free alternatives to Bodoni

Open-licence fonts with a comparable feel, every one verified free for commercial use and downloadable from DaFontFonts.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Bodoni Moda Serif · 12 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Bodoni Moda is a free, optically sized Bodoni revival with true hairline serifs, high contrast, and italics, drawn specifically to fill the role of the premium cuts. It is the closest open-license equivalent available.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Libre Bodoni Serif · 8 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Libre Bodoni adapts 19th-century Bodoni designs for web use with slightly sturdier hairlines that survive smaller sizes. It offers fewer weights, so it suits simpler hierarchies.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Playfair Display Serif · 12 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Playfair Display delivers didone-flavored high contrast with a bit of transitional warmth and excellent screen behavior. Its serifs are bracketed and its feel softer, so it is less severe than a true Bodoni.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
DM Serif Display Serif · 2 styles ✓ OFL

DM Serif Display provides didone contrast tuned for headlines, with a low-slung elegance that works in the same luxury contexts. It comes in one weight plus italic, limiting it to display use.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Abril Fatface Display · 1 style ✓ OFL

Abril Fatface takes the Bodoni-era fat face poster style to its extreme, with massive thick-thin contrast for single-word impact. It is a display face only and far heavier than standard Bodoni text cuts.

Compare all Bodoni alternatives

Bodoni is a trademark of its owner. DaFontFonts does not host or distribute the Bodoni font files; download and licence links go to the official source.

Questions

Is Bodoni font free?

Bodoni MT is free to use in documents you make with Microsoft Office, but not to redistribute or use as a web font. Bodoni Moda and Libre Bodoni are free revivals you can use anywhere.

Who designed Bodoni?

Giambattista Bodoni, an Italian printer working in Parma in the late 1700s. Today's fonts are revivals by Monotype, Bauer, ITC and others.

What is the difference between Bodoni and Didot?

Both are high-contrast Didone serifs from the same era. Bodoni tends to be a little sturdier, while Didot is more delicate, with finer hairlines.

What is the best free Bodoni font?

Bodoni Moda is the most complete free revival, with optical sizes and a full weight range. Libre Bodoni is a good choice for text sizes.

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