Typeface Design for Didot Elder
First revival sourced directly from an 1819 Pierre Didot the Elder specimen
Didot Elder is the first revival of a typeface by Pierre Didot the Elder, designed by François Rappo and published by Optimo. Rappo worked from a specimen published in 1819, introducing asymmetrical serifs, simultaneous bracketed and unbracketed serif styles on certain letterforms, and arrow-like serifs on 'C,' 'G,' 'S,' and 's'—all in service of an accurate revival of that specimen. The family includes Regular, Book, and Bold weights with matching italics, plus a Display variant.
More in white
Set in Didot Elder
Insights
- The 1819 specimen showed mixed bracketed and unbracketed serif construction simultaneously on individual letters; Rappo's revival replicates this as a defining characteristic.
- Arrow-like serifs on 'C,' 'G,' 'S,' and 's' were developed specifically to achieve a precise, authentic revival of the source specimen.
- Rappo received the Jan Tschichold Prize in 2013 for his editorial design and typeface work.
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