Optima

Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany, in 1958.

Key facts

Font.name: Optima
Font.image: Optima font sample.svg
Font.style: Sans-serif
Font.classifications: Humanist
Font.releasedate: 1958
Font.creator: Hermann Zapf
Font.foundry: StempelLinotype
Font.variations: Optima Nova

via Wikipedia infobox

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Encyclopedic overview

13 sections

Contents

History
Structure
Optima Greek (1973)
Optima Classified (1976)
Optima nova (2002)
Optima nova Condensed
Optima nova Titling
Optima Pro Cyrillic (2010)
Derivatives
Notable usages
Reception
Notes
References

Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany, in 1958.

Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic serif. Optima was inspired by classical Roman capitals and the stonecarving on Renaissance-period tombstones Zapf saw in Florence on a 1950 holiday to Italy.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Optima” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)

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