ITC Fenice & ITC Mixage

ITC Fenice

ITC Fenice is a neoclassical design in the tradition of Didot and Bodoni. Its 18th century predecessors exhibit a highly sophisticated design philosophy, and represented the ultimate refinement of the typographic letter at that time. Improving on the Bodoni style has been a challenge to type designers for the past two hundred years.

ITC Fenice retains the distinctive characteristics and subtle refinements of earlier designs, but it also accommodates today’s technology and typographic needs. Aldo Novarese, ITC Fenice’s designer, has drawn a slightly more condensed typestyle with a larger x-height than its 18th century ancestors, providing added visibility and economy of space. The terminals of the lowercase have been designed to better complement their counterparts in the capitals. Serifs have also been shortened, which provides greater latitude in adjusting the letterspacing without loss of legibility or readability.

ITC Mixage

ITC Mixage is a sans serif in the tradition of Optima and Pascal. It is a design, which melds classic 19th century sans serif character proportions with a strong calligraphic influence. There is a subtle flair to character strokes that creates warmth not usually found in sans serif typeface. In text sizes the flair is almost imperceptible, while in display applications it provides the typeface with distinctive character and personality. A careful examination of ITC Mixage will also reveal character shapes and proportions reminiscent of typefaces such as Syntax and Antique Olive. The capitals are minutely heavier than the lowercase letters to add variety to text composition without disturbing color.

Of particular note are the single sided ‘f’ and ‘t.’ Extensive tests were performed prior to the inclusion of these designed to ensure that they do not detract from typeface legibility. They can, in fact, contribute to improved levels of readability because they allow for improved inter-character spacing relationships.

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• Allan Haley is Director of Words & Letters at Monotype Imaging. Here he is responsible for strategic planning and creative implementation of just about everything related to typeface designs. He is also responsible for editorial content for the company’s type libraries and Web sites.
• Prior to working for Monotype, Mr. Haley was Principal of Resolution, a consulting firm with expertise in fonts, font technology, type and typographic communication. He was also executive vice president of International Typeface Corporation.
• Mr. Haley is ex officio Chairman of the Board of the Society of Typographic Aficionados, and past President of the New York Type Directors Club. He is highly regarded as an educator and is a frequently requested speaker at national computer and design conferences.
• Mr. Haley is also a prolific writer, with five books on type and graphic communication and hundreds of articles for graphic design publications to his credit.