The World of Alphabets by Hermann Zapf; A Kaleidoscope of Drawings and Letterforms

Do the words Palatino, Optima, and Melior resonate in your mind? How about Zapf Dingbats or Zapfino? If so, you surely recognize Hermann Zapf as one of the most influential type designers of the twentieth century. Collected here in this CD-ROM are 200 full-color digital reproductions of works spanning the past 60 years of Zapf's rich career.

The scope of this image collection covers the gamut of Hermann Zapf's genius. Selected typeface sketches, calligraphic exemplars, broadside layouts, and book designs are united with some of Zapf's personal archive represented through images of childhood drawings and student assignments. Each image is presented as a full-screen high-quality reproduction that can be viewed at an individual workstation or projected to a screen for audience and classroom viewing.

The CD-ROM is navigable via several search criteria including an alphabetical listing, chronological groupings by decade, and even a collection of Zapf's favorite works. Section introductions are accompanied by pleasing audio excerpts of pieces by Mozart and Bach. The multimedia format also embellishes the experience with occaisional animations and video captures. Overall this disc is a valuable teaching tool and a fine addition to any collection about Zapf or type design.

Base system requirements
1024 x 768 24-bit color resolution, 8x CD-ROM drive or faster.
Windows PC with Pentium processor (or compatible) running Windows 3.1x, Win 95/Win 98, Win 2000 or later.
Macintosh Power PC processor running Mac OS 7.5 or later. Note: This disc needs the Macintosh Classic Mode (Version 9.x) to be installed in order to be viewed on a Macintosh. It does not run natively on the current version of Mac OS X.

From top [right]: CD-ROM, screen captures of CD-ROM images. (Note: these views are reduced from original size.)