Hermann Zapf is admired as the greatest type designer of his era. Vast reams have been written about his work and many more will be written. Now he is gone and I am sad.
I first met Hermann Zapf in 1979, when I studied calligraphy and type design with him in summer courses at RIT. Our acquaintance continued and became friendship over the next 36 years. In remembering him now, I want to tell the one story that means the most to me.
The German firm of Dr. Ing. Rudolf Hell, noted for their ultra high-quality digital scanning, color, and image engraving systems, also invented the first digital typesetting machine, the Digiset. Dr. Hell made several generations of high-quality Digiset machines for the European market from the 1960s to the 1990s.
In 1981 the firm wanted to introduce a new, small Digiset typesetter into the US with original typefaces to showcase its high resolutions and quality. My studio partner, Chuck Bigelow, had been retained as their American consultant. Their European head type adviser, Max Caflisch, who had worked with and learned from Jan Tschichold, was impressed by my brush-written Roman caps, which I had learned from Ed Catich and Bob Palladino. I was asked to submit proposals for new typeface designs to be reviewed by Dr. Hell's type review board for possible development and inclusion in Dr. Hell's type library. The review board included Hermann Zapf, who had already designed several original faces for the firm, including Marconi, Edison, and Aurelia, among the very first original typefaces for digital typography.
And so it was that in the fall of 1981 we flew to Basle, Switzerland for the selection of new type designs. On the morning of the type review board, I nervously entered the room where Hermann Zapf and the other European designers sat. I handed out the type specimens I had laboriously drawn, photocopied, assembled, and prepared by hand. One of those proposals was for a new connecting script design that featured a unique inner hairline and flowing swashes like sarabands in the capitals. I provisionally named it “Isadora” after the pathbreaking American modern dancer, Isadora Duncan whose graceful vision I admired. Isadora the typeface was a new, original, and daring design. I was afraid it might be too daring.
Each of the European designers scrutinized my samples in silence. One of them, not Hermann, had previously and privately expressed to me his doubts that a "girl" could design an original typeface, and indeed that morning I noticed a sour look on the doubter's face as he pondered my much labored-over Isadora. Yet, before the doubter could say a word, Hermann Zapf spoke instead, saying: "Yes, this is highest quality, without question. We will take it." Hermann put down my sample and nodded to me approvingly. The other designers looked at Hermann, looked at me, then looked at Hermann again and nodded their heads in obedient agreement. Isadora was accepted unanimously.
And so it was with the approving words of the great and persuasive Hermann Zapf, followed by those obedient nods from the others, including the doubter, that my life as an original typeface designer began in earnest. Dr. Hell eventually merged with Linotype, and the typeface Isadora was acquired by ITC. It is still a popular typeface today, more than 30 years later. Hermann was right.
A few weeks after that fateful meeting, a package arrived in the mail for me. It was a copy of Feder Und Stichel (“Pen and Graver”), Zapf’s superb calligraphy engraved by August Rosenberger and printed at the Stempel type foundry. Hermann Zapf had inscribed it to me. That rare book is still my most prized possession. It was his generous way of honoring my beginning as an original designer. He certainly knew from the beautiful type designs of his wonderful, talented wife, Gudrun, that a girl could design original typefaces. I have the fondest memories of Hermann Zapf over all the years I knew him. I sent him often happy but occasionally despairing letters over the years, which he always, always answered with kind guidance.
Everyone knows what a great designer Hermann Zapf was. But he was also a generous mentor, a brilliant mind, a stunning penman and a brave fighter for original design.
I loved that guy.
Below are photos of the 1979 RIT class, and two more recent photos of me with Hermann. Followed by a 1980 review I wrote of his type design, ITC Zapf Chancery.
Above: Hermann Zapf and his calligraphy and type design classes at RIT, summer 1979. Zapf stands in bright light, while the rest of us are in darkness. (I am in the blue dress, standing above the kneeling man in sunglasses (Ned Bunnell). Behind and to my left is Jerry Kelly, talented calligrapher, book designer, and author of "About More Alphabets," covering Zapf's most recent type designs. Behind and to my right is Chuck Bigelow, my long-time studio partner and co-designer of the Lucida fonts. On the far left, the kneeling woman is the late Dorothy Dehn, accomplished calligrapher and teacher.
Above: I watch Zapf closely. So does Julian Waters at lower left.
With Hermann as jurors at the Linotype Arabic Type contest, 2005.
The same two of us, more light, more joking, more motion blur.
Review of ITC Zapf Chancery, 1980
After Zapf's summer course at RIT, I returned to the typesetting equipment manufacturer where I was working at the time, and arranged to supervise the production of ITC Zapf Chancery for phototypesetting equipment. The respected book arts journal Fine Print invited me to write an article on the typeface and my experience in guiding it through production. I had been so deeply impressed by Zapf's perceptive scholarship and knowledge of every aspect of calligraphy and type design, that I labored long to make my review worthy of him. The article appeared in January, 1980. Later, a mutual friend relayed to me Zapf's exclamation upon reading it: "This woman knows more about my typeface than I do!" (Of course, Hermann was joking, but I was thrilled anyway.)
In January 1986, the Apple LaserWriter Plus printer was introduced and contained ITC Zapf Chancery in digital format so millions of people could admire and use it. Years later, Steve Jobs, in a memorable commencement address at Stanford, said he studied chancery calligraphy at Reed College. His teacher was Bob Palladino, by coincidence also one of my teachers.
Fine Print is long out of print, so many type aficionados may not be familiar with my review now, but here is a digitized version as another remembrance of Hermann Zapf.
— Kris Holmes