Alessio Leonardi is an italian Type and Graphic Designer who lives since 1990 in Berlin, Germany. He worked at MetaDesign with Erik Spiekermann and then was (till 2005) one of the two owners of the Design Studio Leonardi.Wollein in Berlin. Today he and his wife Imme Leonardi run the Studio Lion&Bee.

About the typographical side of his work: starting from 1992 many of his typefaces are published by the FontShop International and Linotype Library. He was co-founder of the fontlabels Face2Face (with Alexander Branczyk, a.o.) and Fontology (with Fabrizio Schiavi). Since 2001 he is the country delegate for Italy at the ATypI (Association Typographique International). In 2002 he founded the Company BuyMyFonts.com that produces typefaces for corporate applications and also for standard use (the latter are sold on the internet shop at www.BuyMyFonts.com).
2008 he realized the BMF Change, the Corporate Typefaces Family for the city Berlin.

Alessio Leonardi writes articles for type and design magazines worldwide and gives lectures at international conferences. In 2004 he wrote, drew and published the book "From the Cow to the Typewriter: the (true) History of Writing".
In 2006 Mergenthaler Editions realized (together with Jan Middendorp) his second book, A Line of Type. 120 years typographic history.
In 2008 he published his first Comic Book “Mr. Typo and the lost letters” (also together with Jan Middendorp), followed 2010 by “Wie die Leidenschaft unser Leben ruiniert” (How passion ruins our life).
He was first visiting professor for Corporate and Information Design at the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, then for Typography at the University of Arts in Saarbrücken.
He is now professor for Visual Communication and Illustration at the University of Applied Sciences and Art in Hildesheim.

Some corporate design references: WDR and Springer Verlag (working at MetaDesign), Schering AG, Linotype Library, CECIL.
Some typefaces: Schering Sans, Schering Serif, Schering Letter, FF Letterine, FF Matto, FF Priska Little Creatures, F2F Simbolico, F2F Tagliatelle Sugo, BMF Elleonora Dun Cane, BMF Testuale, BMF Pinacoteca Brera, BMF Change, FF Handwriter.

Imme and Alessio Leonardi have three delicious daughters: Anna Futura, Carlotta Sofia and Emilia Augusta.

NEW! Version E (somehow chronological)

The life before
1965: Born in Florenz, Italy
1971-1976: Scuola Elementare Silvio Pellico, Saluzzo, Italy
1976-1979: Scuola Media Santa Maria, Cuneo, Italy
1979-1984: Liceo Classico Silvio Pellico, Cuneo, Italy
1984-1985: University of Turin, Law Studies (but of course, I am not a lawyer now)
1985-1990: ISIA Urbino, Communication Design
1990-1991: Civil Duty at the Caritas in Genua, Italy

The life as graphic designer
1991: MetaDesign, Berlin, Stage
1991-1992: Drews Design, Berlin, Designer
1992-1993: MetaDesign, Berlin, Designer
1994: xplicit, Frankfurt Main, Designer
1994-1995: Homestudio, Berlin, Owner
1995-1997: agorà informationsdesign, Berlin, Partner
1997-2005: Leonardi.Wollein Visuelle Konzepte, Berlin, Partner
since 2005: Lion&Bee, Berlin, Partner

The parallel life as type designer
1971-1976: Scuola Elementare Silvio Pellico, Saluzzo, Italy
(in front of the school there were a monument dedicated to G.B. Bodoni)
1985-1990: ISIA Urbino, Communication Design
(Here I begun to draw letters; my teacher was Umberto Fenocchio, a pupil of Aldo Novarese)
1992-1993: MetaDesign, Berlin, Designer
(The place were the destiny took its direction: here I meet Erik Spiekermann, but also Just van Rossum, Erik van Blokland, Luc(as) de Groot and my friend Albert Pinngera)
1992: first typefaces published by FontShop; many will follow.
1994-1996: typefaces published by Linotype Library
1994: co-founder of Face2Face, indipendent Fontlabel
1996: co-founder of Fontology, indipendent Fontlabel
since 2001: country delegates for Italy at the ATypI, Association Typographique International
2002: BuyMyFonts.com, fontlabel and online shop, President

Some other activities
Articles for design and typography magazines worlwide.
Lectures at international conferences.
Publication of the books "From the cow to the typewriter: the (true) history of writing" (2004) and "A Line of Type. 120 years of typographic history" (2006).
Publication of the comic books “Mr. Typo and the lost letters” (2008) and “Wie die Leidenschaft unser Leben ruiniert” - How passion ruins our life (2010).
Illustrations for print and online media.
Visiting professor for Corporate and Information Design at the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, Germany.
Visiting professor for Typography at the University of Arts in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Since 2010 Professor for Visual Communication and Illustration at the University of Applied Sciences and Art in Hildesheim, Germany.

The other dimension of life (the important one)
since 2000: in love with Imme.
2001: Birth of Anna Futura and Carlotta Sofia Leonardi (twins!).
2005: Birth of Emilia Augusta Leonardi.

Alessio Leonardi is the genetical identical copy of the great italian typographer Giovanbattista Bodoni. Altought GB Bodoni had more hairs, they look very similar in every physical detail. Alessio was cloned by Dr. Dr. Uwe Kornak in the Institut für Genetik und Reproduktive Typografie (something like: Institut for Genetic and Reproductional Typography, short IfGuRT) in Berlin, Germany, Middle Old Europe. [...] continue >>>

Alessio Leonardi, geboren 1965 in Florenz [...] continue >>>