ITC Mona Lisa, designed in 1991, is an interpretation of Albert Auspurg’s 1930 design for the German Ludwig & Mayer foundry.

ITC Mona Lisa is in the family tree of modern types such as Bodoni, Didot, and Walbaum, as evidenced by its strong contrast between thin and thick letter strokes.

The fancy dress of the updated typeface is a nice change from the stark elegance of its forbears, making it a good accompanying display letter (it shouldn’t be set smaller than 24-point). ITC Mona Lisa Solid is, very simply, a 1992 variation on ITC Mona Lisa Recut.

Most open or inline faces have been created as permutations of their solid precursors, often by the designer of the original face. In this case, though, a graphic designer proposed a solid version after filling in the open spaces with a marker.