In this project, I will use only type and color. I use type as the only graphic element in the poster, which must convey the most important visual properties of the typeface. The poster itself should reflect the nature of the typeface as currently used and as intended by the original typeface designer.
Optima was designed by Hermann Zapf, a German typographer and a calligrapher who was deeply inspired by Roman architecture. Hermann Zapf first visits Italy in 1950, and he “was researching Italian typeface design at the Basilica di Santa Croce” (Linotype). Inside of the Basilica di Santa Croce, he saw the lettering on the tombstone that “would have been missed by most tourists (Linotype), this inspired him to create a stroke without ending in a serif. The inspiration came to him fast, but the problem was that Hermann Zapf had run out of drawing paper; therefore, he ended up drawing his idea on a 1000 lira banknote.
Hermann Zapf worked on the typeface for two years and “all letterforms of the typeface were designed proportions of the Golden Ratio” (Font Meme). In 1952he turned his final drawing to Stempel Type Foundry to make his font. The process of making fonts in metal was so much more complicated than making font with the technology we have today. In 1958, Optima was finally published as handset metal fonts.
Optima is classified as san-serif, although the typeface itself has a feeling of a serif font. In our modern world, Optima is a popular font that is used in logos and branding, for example, the automobile brand – Jaguar uses Optima as their logo typeface; the luxury department store – Nordstrom uses Optima as their logo and the Pandora Jewelry also have their logo made by the Optima typeface. Optima has become a popular font because it retains the classic proportions of a Roman Lapidary serif typeface, yet it fits well in our modern culture with its serif-less personality. Hermann Zapf was able to find the balance between classical and modern, and he gave that characteristic to Optima.
Work Cited
Font Meme. “Famous Logos Created with Optima Font.” Font Meme. 22 October 2019.
https://fontmeme.com/famous-logos-created-with-optima-font/
https://fontmeme.com/famous-logos-created-with-optima-font/
Linotype. “Optima.” fonts.com. 22 October 2019. http://www.fonts.com/font/linotype/
optima/story
Tanner-Dempsey, Isaac. “The history of Optima.” Izdesign. 22 October 2019.
http://www.izdesign.co.nz/blog/optima-the-history
