Hermann Zapf (born
November 8,
1918) is a prolific German
typeface designer, whose designs include
Palatino and
Optima. Zapf's work has suffered the two-edged sword of veneration, as his designs have been perhaps the most widely admired—and widely-pirated—of any. (The well-known "Book Antiqua" is a "knockoff" of Zapf's Palatino.) He is married to calligrapher and typeface designer Gudrun Zapf von Hesse.
Some of Hermann Zapf's typefaces include: Aldus, Aurelia, Edison, Kompakt, Marconi, Medici Script, Melior, Michelangelo, Optima, Palatino, Saphir, Vario, ITC Zapf Book, ITC Zapf International, Sistina, ITC Zapf Chancery, ITC Zapf Dingbats, Zapf Renaissance Antiqua, and Zapfino.