Washington Post Font: Postoni Headline History and Expansion

A newspaper’s nameplate, main headline, caption and reading text are different typographic roles. Save the section and issue date before identifying a family. This guide concerns the documented Postoni headline project. A font used for a major heading should not automatically be assigned to the publication’s logo or every paragraph appearing below it.

Type Network describes Michael Keegan commissioning Font Bureau for smaller, lighter capitals in a custom Bodoni. Matthew Carter began the work in 1997, and the family appeared with the newspaper’s 1998 redesign. The first group comprised Regular and Bold with italics. This is a specific client-led adaptation, not simply a stock Bodoni selection inferred from the newspaper’s appearance.

The project account describes later contributions by Richard Lipton, Jill Pichotta and Dyana Weissman, including higher-contrast display styles, additional widths and bridging styles. It traces expansion from four to twenty-four styles. That history shows how a headline system can grow around different sizes and spaces. One weight chosen for a large feature need not serve a narrow secondary heading unchanged.

Try Lora and Source Serif 4 on a reading paragraph, with Playfair Display as a separate headline direction. They are independent specimens, not Postoni resources. Compare a short headline and a long one in the same column width, then include a byline and caption. Keep hierarchy clear through consistent placement instead of making every secondary line a smaller imitation of the main title.