Didot x VOGUE
In the early years of the 20th century, magazine covers featured very little typography. A title’s logo or nameplate was not confined to a single typeface (or even a consistent size and placement on the cover), and cover lines were practically nonexistent. Over time the Modern class of typefaces such as Bodoni and Didot with their high contrast between thick and thin strokes came to define typography meant to pair with high-fashion content. Didot, named for the brothers Pierre and Firmin Didot (highly regarded printers, publishers, typeface designers, inventors and intellectuals working during the 18th and 19th centuries), settled onto the cover of Vogue as a permanent part of the landscape in 1955. The delicacy of the hairline strokes ensures that Didone typefaces settle gently over photographs, like thin chiffon veils, while the bolder strokes keep the text legible without ever appearing heavy (heavy type for fashion content is a near-universally shunned design approach). By 1955, the all uppercase Didot logo settled in to stay; with minor tweaks ever since, it remains a constant presence.
