ITC Didi Typeface Revival
Tom Carnase is a typographic virtuoso best known for his superlative work with graphic design legend Herb Lubalin during the 1970s and 80s, when they ran a New York studio together and created iconic work for clients like PBS, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Pepsi.
During this period, Carnase also designed dozens of successful typefaces, including Avant Garde Gothic, Grouch, and Pioneer, all of which have experienced a revival of interest in the last few years.
One of Carnase’s most elegant and refined typeface designs was ITC Didi, which was based on the Didone typefaces of the late 17th century. Carnase added elements of English Modern type designs, such as flared bracketing and exaggerated ball terminals, along with a higher x-height that made Didi excel in display sizes. ITC Didi was released in the early 1970s and began appearing, among other places, in noteworthy work from Lubalin’s studio and by Massimo Vignelli.
This elegantly series of type-only book covers was designed by artist Klas Ernflo.
In the decades that followed, ITC Didi was never digitized, so there was no version available to present-day designers using computers and publishing software like Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.
For years I’ve been a huge fan of Carnase’s and Lubalin’s work, and I wished there was a version of Didi I could use in my own design projects. So I comissioned type designer Jason Walcott to create a digital homage to Didi that we named Domani, which is the Italian word for “tomorrow.” Walcott’s re-creation is a beautiful typeface which expresses equal measures of grace, refinement and flair. It includes several additional glyphs not available in Didi (such an alternative ampersand and several swash characters), and some of the most beautiful numerals you will ever see in any font.
This upscale Italian restaurant in New York enlisted Massimo Vignelli to design its visual identity, from signage and menus to its website. ITC Didi was used in the striking logotype for the restaurant, which got its name from its street address on 26rd Street in Manhattan.
Massimo Vignelli designed this tabloid-sized publication for the International Design Center in the 1980s. ITC Didi was used in the nameplate (combined with a bold sans font), which was also a logotype for the organization.
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