The ITC Fenice™ type family is a modern interpretation of neoclassical typefaces like Didot and Bodoni. These 18th-century predecessors represented the ultimate refinement of the topographic letter at that time. Improvements on the neoclassical style have long presented a challenge to type designers.
ITC Fenice retains the distinctive characteristics and subtle refinements of earlier designs, but into these it has incorporated considerations for contemporary technology and typographic tastes. Aldo Novarese, ITC Fenice’s designer, drew a slightly more condensed typestyle, and one that has a larger x-height than its ancestors, providing a distinctive presence – and economy of space. In addition, the terminals of the lowercase have been designed to better complement their counterparts in the capitals, and serifs were drawn shorter than those found in Bodoni and Didot. This enables greater latitudes of letterspacing without loss of legibility or readability. There is also warmth to ITC Fenice not found in the cool aloofness of other neoclassical designs.
Bodoni and similar designs have historically been difficult to work with. They tend to be demanding designs requiring care and a sensitive eye to produce acceptable results. ITC Fenice, however, inherited few of its predecessors’ difficulties. It is, in fact, downright easy to work with. Virtually any design project can benefit through the use of this classic, but not delicate, design.
Now the ITC Fenice family is available as a suite of OpenType Pro fonts, allowing graphic communicators to use this versatile design while taking advantage of OpenType’s capabilities. These fonts, in addition to providing for the automatic insertion of old style figures, ligatures and small caps, also offer an extended character set supporting most Central European and many Eastern European languages.