Hermann Zapf, font legend who created Palatino and eponymous 'Dingbats,' is dead at 96

Hermann Zapf, font legend, is dead at 96
(Image credit: The Art of Hermann Zapf/YouTube)

In the rarified, slightly arcane world of typography and font design, Hermann Zapf was a giant. You may know his name from the fonts Zapfino and Zapf Dingbats, a pre-emoji set of symbols, but he also created Palatino and Optima, plus fonts you may never have heard of like Melior and Marconi Antique. Zapf died last Thursday at his home in Darmstadt, Germany, at age 96.

See more

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.