Hermann Zapf: An overview of his life and work

This talk took place on July 19, 2016 as part of [email protected] West's lecture series at the San Francisco Public Library. 

Robert Bringhurst has written that Hermann Zapf was “The greatest type designer of our time, perhaps the greatest type designer of all time.” Zapf was also one of the most respected calligraphers and typographers of all time. He produced a huge body of work, a good deal of which has been reproduced in books and articles about Zapf, but much of which has rarely been seen. Similarly, a good amount has been written by and about Zapf, but much is still to be recorded. This illustrated talk will review some of the highlights of Zapf’s career, along with some little-knbown facts about the life and work of this exceptional artist, whose life spanned the entire gammut of type manufacturing methods.