First, Dax has narrow glyphs and a big x-height while Bernhard Modern has
some very wide glyphs and one of the lowest x-heights among popular
classic typefaces. Second, Dax is an informal, modern, and bright typeface.
It՚s a great fit for a techie, savvy, modern message. Bernhard Modern on
the other hand is classy, quiet, sophisticated, and even a touch intimate.
Combine the lack of chemistry among those attributes together with the
very different personalities of each typeface and you have a poorly
functioning bit of typography.
Let՚s look at a better choice. The right column pairs Dax Bold with Caslon.
Caslon is an old style typeface, but it՚s been modernized and sanitized to
play nicely with other typefaces. It works satisfactorily with Dax in this
context. Notice how you can see the personality of Dax in the headline, but
Caslon steps aside and delivers the reader to the message? In this context,
Caslon functions quite well as a neutral choice to support the more
flamboyant Dax.