Searching for Simoncini

Researching the Officine Simoncini is a challenge because the company did not leave behind its archives. Thankfully, though, a few documents have survived. The exhibition shows a glimpse of the materials we have found so far and starts to put them all together in a cohesive narrative.

It has been about 10 years since Francesco Ceccarelli and I first came across the cupboards containing the production drawings for all the typefaces released by the Officine Simoncini of Bologna. Ceccarelli and I were working together in Modena and were sharing our passion for typography by doing informal research on letterforms, their history and development. We were told about the survival of these drawings by the former technical director of the Officine, Lorenzo Malaguti, who we met thanks to Vittorio Marchesini, former accountant, board member and eventually liquidator of the Officine Simoncini, who I had contacted through the Rastignano town council.

Folders with drawings for Selene, Aster and Garamond. The museum hosts three cupboards with the production drawings to the Officine Simoncini typefaces (Simoncini Collection, Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna, photo: Salvatore Santoro.)

Ceccarelli and I did the initial research and interviews, then I wrote my own dissertation on three typefaces from the Officine Simoncini and, with it, graduated in the MA Typeface Design at the University of Reading, UK in 2010. Around 2009 and 2010 I eventually moved from Italy to California. Every now and again I came across material concerning Simoncini but the bulk of the research had more or less reached a standstill.

Bologna’s calling

In 2015 I was contacted by Mirit Wissotzky and Manuel Dall’Olio (studio Dina&Solomon), and asked if I wanted to contribute some research on Simoncini. Wissotzky and Dall’Olio were working on their project, Griffo, the Great Gala of Letters, aiming to tell and revive Francesco Griffo’s story and raise the awareness of letterforms, “the invaluable tool that accompanies our daily life.”

They also got in touch with Elisa Rebellato, bibliologist and librarian in Bologna, who had published an article on Simoncini out of her interest in the Einaudi publishing house. The idea of working on an exhibition took place and our team was established.

One last member joined us when the exhibition setup and design were almost complete; this was Beppe Càntele of the Ronzani Editore publishing house. He enthusiastically published our catalogue, designed by Dina&Solomon, and he helped us edit, translate and print it on selected papers, graciously donated by Fedrigoni.