Quote by Gudrun Zapf von Hesse, designed by Jerry Kelly. Source: “Manuale Zapficum” (RIT Press: 2009). This image was copied pursuant to the Fair Dealing Guidelines of the University of Victoria. The image may only be used for the purpose of research and education. The use of this image for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner.
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Zapf von Hesse was an apprentice and assistant at the bookbindery of Otto Dorfner in Weimar from 1934 to 1937.[2][4] Her calligraphy practice began during this apprenticeship; in her acceptance address for the Frederic W. Goudy Award, she said “One afternoon a week we had to write very simple letters. I was not satisfied with this form of instruction; therefore, I taught myself at home, from a detailed examination of the works of Rudolf Koch and Edward Johnston.”[4]
After completing her apprenticeship in 1937, Zapf von Hesse stayed on as an assistant in Dorfner’s bindery until 1940.[4] She received a Master’s Diploma in bookbinding[5] in 1940.[3][4] She completed further studies at the Berlin Graphic Arts School in 1941 with Johannes Boehland (German painter and graphic artist, 1903-1964[6]).[2]
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Factory of the Type Foundry D. Stempel AG (Berlin, Germany). Source: Die deutsche Industrie (1888-1913) by Wilhelm Wendlandt (1859-1937), published 1913. This image is in the public domain.
In 1941, Zapf von Hesse worked as a bookbinder in Berlin.[2] From 1944-1945, she taught bookbinding and calligraphy as therapy for soldiers with head injuries at a hospital in Bad Ischl, Austria.[2][3] After World War II, in 1946, she opened her own book bindery on the premises of the Bauer type foundry in Frankfurt.[3][4] The director of the foundry, Georg Hartmann, gave her permission to operate her bindery on the premises.[1]
While working at Bauer in the late 1940s, Zapf von Hesse learned punchcutting and cut her first complete brass alphabet, Hesse-Antiqua, under the guidance of Bauer’s chief punchcutter, Joseph Spahn.[2][1][3] The alphabet was made specifically for gold-tooling on book bindings.[4] The titling face was digitized in 2018 by Ferdinand Ulrich.[1] She also made decorating tools with Spahn’s help.[4]
Zapf von Hesse’s career as a type designer began after Lepold and Zapf commissioned her to design typefaces for Stempel.[3] Her first typeface for Stempel was Diotima, issued in 1951.[4] The New York City Opera used Diotima for advertisements in the New York Times, and it was also used for headings in the British Airways in-flight magazine.[7]
In 1948, Zapf von Hesse opened a bookbinding studio with one apprentice in the Stempel Type Foundry building.[4] Her bindery at Stempel closed in 1955 when her son, Christian was born,[4] but she continued designing typefaces “as time and family duties allowed.”[8]
In the 1970’s, Zapf von Hesse worked with her husband Hermann Zapf to prepare bitmaps by hand for his alphabet designs Marconi and Edison.[4]
As technologies changed in the second half of the 20th century, Zapf von Hesse continued to design typefaces for photocomposition and digital production. She was actively designing typefaces into the 90’s for Berthold, Bitstream, and URW Hamburg.[8]
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This list is not exhaustive.
2019: “Alfabetos Magicos: Cien Anos Con Hermann & Gudrun Zapf.” (“Magic Alphabets: 100 Years With Hermann and Gudrun Zapf.”) Escola Llotja Sant Andreu (Spain).[9]
2019. “Alphabet Magic: A Centennial Exhibition of the Work of Hermann & Gudrun Zapf. Curated by Jerry Kelly.” Grolier Club (New York).[10]
2007: Melbert B. Cary, Jr. Graphic Art Collection, Rochester Institute of Technology (for which the book Spend Your Alphabets Lavishly was published)[11]
2001: Skylight Gallery[12] of the San Francisco Public Library (for which the book Calligraphic Type Design in the Digital Age: An Exhibition in Honor of the Contributions of Hermann and Gudrun Zapf was published)[2]
Footnotes link to the source as referenced on Wikipedia.
Five bindings by Gudrun Zapf von Hesse with textured leather spines and gold stamping. Source: “Gudrun Zapf von Hesse” (Mark Batty: 2002). This image was copied pursuant to the Fair Dealing Guidelines of the University of Victoria. The image may only be used for the purpose of research and education. The use of this image for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner.
“She was a meticulous craftsperson. There was no question about it, she had perfect taste. You don’t see that all the time — you see people who go too hard, they put in one extra thing too many. She had restraint, discretion; she had tremendous sense of colour. An incredible, impeccable craftsperson.” – Cynthia Batty (Personal Interview, 14 Nov. 2019)
In general, Zapf von Hesse’s work has “elegant simplicity” and “technical precision”.[13] Her use of decoration is “refined by moderation… both understated and unpretentious.”[14]
For bookbinding technique, Zapf von Hesse utilized “the flexible method with thin boards and very small borders,” which was contrary to the method she was taught during her apprenticeship.[4] After receiving her Master’s Diploma in bookbinding, she developed a style “simple and pure in decoration, carefully executed in every detail.”[4] Her speciality was the flexible binding.[4] Her style differentiated itself from both traditional and avant-garde binding styles by being “fresh and modern.”[7]
For typefaces, Zapf von Hesse’s foundation is calligraphy.[15] The influence of calligraphy is noticeable in her typefaces Diotima and Columbine.[13] In her acceptance speech for the 1991 Frederic Goudy Award, she stated, “In my opinion, the best foundation for creating new alphabets is an intensive study of calligraphy.”[4]
Zapf von Hesse’s calligraphic art ranges from “elegant traditional hands to free lettering with pen or brush, bordering on the abstract… [she also carries out] blackletter, italic, roman, majuscules, roman miniscules, and experimental lettering”.[11]
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“While not as widely known as that of her prolific husband, [Zapf von Hesse’s] work is also beautiful and typographically vital, and her career has also been long and productive. And speaking as a woman who has worked for years in a male-dominated type industry, Gudrun Zapf von Hesse’s example has given me much inspiration and faith that good work is worth doing.” – Linnea Lundquist[16]
In 1991[17], Zapf von Hesse was the second woman to receive the prestigious Frederic W. Goudy award, an award “given to an outstanding practitioner in the field of typography”, given by the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.[18] In 2001, she was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Friends of Calligraphy.[12]
Zapf von Hesse’s typeface Diotima italic has been called “one of the finest italic types ever”[7] and a “perfect masterpiece.”[5]
Zapf von Hesse, along with her husband Herman, have lent support to the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which houses a large collection of their materials.[11]
Footnotes link to the source as referenced on Wikipedia.
Portrait of Gudrun Zapf von Hesse with husband, Hermann Zapf (possibly circa 1990). Source: Rochester Institute of Technology. This image was copied pursuant to the Fair Dealing Guidelines of the University of Victoria. The image may only be used for the purpose of research and education. The use of this image for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner.
Zapf von Hesse moved from her home in Potsdam to Frankfurt in late 1945[1] or 1946.[4] Potsdam was under Russian occupation after World War II, and according to Zapf von Hesse it was “not a good place at all to start a new life.”[4] She met Hermann Zapf in 1948.[4] Zapf was the art director for D. Stempel AG typefoundry.[4] She was invited to visit Stempel’s offices after Zapf and Dr. Lepold (Stempel’s director), had seen her letterforms at an exhibition in Frankfurt.[4] She and Zapf and married on August 1, 1951, and the two managed thereafter to keep their professional work somewhat separate.[3][19][4]
Zapf von Hesse and Hermann Zapf had a son, Christian, in 1955.[4] During her acceptance address for the Frederic W. Goudy award, Zapf von Hesse commented that she was “a little sorry” about not having time to do bookbinding when her son was young.[4] However, after some years passed she was able to focus on calligraphy and type design.[4]
Footnotes link to the source as referenced on Wikipedia.
Images of Zapf von Hesse’s typefaces are available from the Klingspor Museum’s Online Font Library. Reference for the categorization of typefaces is Jerry Kelly’s review[7] in Letter Arts Review.
Drawing for Nofret Roman, May 1985. Executed as a proposal for the management of H. Berthold AG, Berlin, Germany, who issued the typeface. Source: “Calligraphic Type Design in a Digital Age” (Gingko Press: 2001). This image was copied pursuant to the Fair Dealing Guidelines of the University of Victoria. The image may only be used for the purpose of research and education. The use of this image for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner.
Metal
Diotima Roman (Stempel – 1951)[4]: Diotima was modelled from Zapf von Hesse’s calligraphy used for her handlettered version of From the Hyperion by Friedrich Holderlin.[14] Gunther Lepold, the director of D. Stempel AG Type Foundry, and Hermann Zapf, Stempel’s art director, saw this calligraphy at the Stadel Art School exhibit in 1948, which caused them to invite Zapf von Hesse to Stempel and thus began her type design career.[13]Diotima was punchcut[4] by August Rosenberger.[8] Diotima was redesigned for photocomposition by Linotype/Stempel and Berthold; Zapf von Hesse was not consulted for this redesign and felt “there was a big loss in appearance of this Diotima version in comparison to the original letterpress type.”[4] Diotima was named after a Greek priestess in Plato’s dialogue about love.[4]
