Gudrun Zapf von Hesse
German, 1918-
Artist, designer, calligrapher, and bookbinder, Gudrun Zapf von
Hesse is one of the few women whose type designs are internationally
known
and used. Her first, Diotima Roman, was commissioned by the D. Stempel
type foundry in 1951. In Plato's Symposium, Diotima of Mantinea
was a Greek priestess and teacher of Socrates. She designed Shakespeare
Roman, first used in 1968, for Hallmark Cards. Gudrun Zapf von Hesse's
achievements were recognized in 1991 by the Frederic W. Goudy Award
from the Rochester
Institute of Technology, and with an exhibition, "Calligraphic
Type Design in the Digital Age," held September-October 2001
at the San Francisco Public Library.
Specimen page of Diotima type
Gudrun Zapf von Hesse: Bindings, Handwritten Books, Typefaces,
Examples of Lettering, and Drawings,
West New York, New Jersey: Mark Batty, 2002.
Signed by the artist.
Graphic Arts Division
Other works in the exhibition:
- Specimen alphabet of Diotima Roman, drafted by Nora Lin.
