Optima

Optima is the name of a font.

The Optima is classified for lack of a better Einsortierbarkeit according to DIN 16518 in the class of Rare variants, but is basically a Renaissance Antiqua - just without serifs. It was designed in 1952 by Hermann Zapf for the Stempel AG (Frankfurt am Main ) and appeared in 1958.

The naming took place in the advertising department of Stempel AG, Zapf himself found it too presumptuous. First sketches for the font created in 1950 in Florence on a 1000 lira note, as Zapf had no writing paper at hand to emerge inscriptions in Santa Croce. The letters are based on the principle of the golden section.

Your just as delicate like clear typeface made ​​them a success in Typogeschäft. They blossomed in particular the darling of the advertising - often used to bring fine fragrances and exclusive merchandise at the man. Also for the inscriptions of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was the Optima use.

Like other typefaces by Zapf is highly valued, the Optima, but often imitated. The fonts collection of SoftMaker you find them as flare O801. In the Bitstream font collection, there is this legally licensed by Zapf Zapf Humanist. A standalone version of the Optima was created in East Germany by Karl- Heinz Lange (VEB typography) under the name of Publications.

Revised by Hermann Zapf himself in 2002, it is now at Linotype as Optima nova in the seven weights: Light, Regular, Medium, Demi, Bold, Heavy and black, each with matching italics, and in the first five strengths with Condensed - sub-series available. Likewise, there are additional sets for small caps and old style figures.