Zapf Creation

Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf between 1952-1955 for the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, Germany. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminii producing a suggestion of a glyphic serif. more...

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Optima’s design follows humanist lines, but its italic variant is merely an oblique, essentially a sloped roman without the characteristic italic letterforms such as a single story a and rounded base of v and w. This is more typical of a realist sans-serif such as Helvetica and Univers. A significant feature of the design, also unconventional for a sans, Optima's capitals (like Palatino's) are directly derived from the classic Roman monumental capital model. It is clear from the reverence in Zapf's designs that he regards the Roman capitals as ideal forms, and his executions in type prove the thesis. Like Palatino, another Zapf design, Optima is both widely admired, and much imitated. Optima and Palatino are trademarks of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. In the Bitstream font collection, Optima is called Zapf Humanist. Other Optima clones are Optane from the WSI Fonts collection, Opulent by Rubicon Computer Labs Inc., CG Omega, and Eterna.

Optima is the typeface used on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Optima, or a version of it known as Optimum, has been used by Marks & Spencer, PLC. The company has more or less left it behind since Stuart Rose introduced a new brand campaign in 2004.

In 2002 Hermann Zapf together with Akira Kobayashi, typedirector at Linotype GmbH, redesigned and extended Optima as Optima nova. This new type family has a more traditional, less formal italic, condensed weights and a beautiful Titling caps variation. In the tradition of hand lettering and lapidary inscription, the Titling face pays homage to Zapf's friend Herb Lubalin in its playful ligatures (Lubalin Graph and Avant Garde), and takes a delicate calligraphic bow towards lettering masters such as A.M. Cassandre and Rudolf Koch, whose work greatly inspired the young Zapf.

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