The Zapfs

Hermann Zapf (1918-2015) and Gudrun Zapf-von Hesse (1918-2019) elevated the art of calligraphy and type design to new heights. Born into the last days of the World War I, their journey in typography alongside the latest technological developments has left a significant mark on the design landscape, with Hermann often hailed as one of the greatest type designers of all time.

Type Design

Seen by millions of people everyday, the typefaces of Hermann and Gudrun are used by brands, institutions and memorials worldwide. While at Stempel, Hermann designed some of the most prominent fonts like Optima and Palatino and later on, pioneering designs such as Zapf Dingbats and Zapfino. Gudrun created numerous typefaces including Diotima, Nofret and the recently digitalised font Hesse-Antiqua.

Mentioned Fonts

Calligraphy

All of Gudrun and Hermann’s work is rooted in the mastery of the hand. Hermann, a trained photo retoucheur and Gudrun, a master bookbinder, started to teach themselves the art of lettering after the books of Rudolf Koch and Edward Johnston. Calligraphy with a broad-edged pen was the point of departure for all of their designs that were later digitized.

Digital pioneer

Since the 1960’s, Hermann has worked on advancing typography for computer programs, coming up with radical ideas that were considered crazy in Germany at the time. As a result, he went to the United States, founded several companies and lectured about computerized typesetting at numerous institutions including Harvard, Stanford University and the MIT. Hermann started the first of its kind professorship in typographic computer programming at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1976 and was invited to present his ideas to Apple Cupertino in 1985.

To this day, Gudrun Zapf von Hesse has kept the tools she used to cut the Hesse Antiqua

The Art of the Book

The most beautiful books of all are often the ones we take for granted, simply because there is nothing that distracts us. Besides letters, books were the second greatest passion of Gudrun and Hermann striving for excellence inside and out. Whereas Hermann achieved mastery in printing, working with collaborators such as the punchcutter August Rosenberger, Gudrun’s bindings combine simplicity and elegance that praised her work with the highest honors when awarded the bookbinding title.

Zapfs Today

The Zapf‘s three granddaughters Frieda, Isabel and Susanna, children to their son Christian (1955-2012), have taken on their legacy. In spirit with their grandparents’ passion for teaching, their aim is not only to preserve the heritage of the legendary type duo, but also making it accessible to future generations of type enthusiasts.
If you want to share the use of Zapf fonts, have a copyright request or simply want to get in touch, please do not hesitate to send an email to info@zapf-alphabets.com.