Sistina (typeface)

Sistina
Category Serif
Designer(s) Hermann Zapf
Foundry Linotype
Variations Palatino Imperial

Sistina is an old style serif typeface designed in 1950 by Hermann Zapf.[1]

Sistina is an all-capitals titling font. It was based on inscriptional capitals Zapf saw in Rome while on a visit to Rome that he made around 1950.[2] The design has a relatively heavy structure, with a 'U' with a foot serif at bottom right, a 'double-V'-style 'W' with four top terminals and a 'palm Y' similar to that on Palatino, inspired by the Greek letter upsilon.[3] Sistina was first released in metal in 1951; Zapf also created another complementary titling font with a lighter weight which was named Michaelangelo.[2]

Sistina was one of several Italian-inspired designs Zapf created for Stempel shortly after the war, following the display oriented serif Palatino (later extensively used for book design).[2][4] Other Zapf designs with similar influences are the book-oriented Aldus the humanist sans-serif Optima, inspired by gravestones he saw in Florence.[2] Paul Shaw has described Michaelangelo, Sistina, Aldus and Kompakt, an ultra-bold display italic from 1952, as "Palatino's extended family".[5] It was originally named 'Aurelia Titling' after the Roman road named Via Aurelia.[6] Zapf would later use the name for another separate font.

The recent digital version from Linotype adds small capitals. Hermann Zapf also collaborated with Akira Kobayashi to make a revised version of Sistina named "Palatino Imperial" as part of the Palatino Nova font family, which incorporates many of Zapf's Italian-inspired serif designs and the new Palatino Sans.[7][8]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Solomon, Martin (1986). The Art of Typography: An Introduction to Typo-Icon-Ography. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Alexander S. Lawson (January 1990). Anatomy of a Typeface. David R. Godine Publisher. pp. 120–128. ISBN 978-0-87923-333-4.
  3. ↑ Shaw, Paul. "Flawed Typefaces". Print magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Ron Goldberg (2000). Digital Typography Pocket Primer. Windsor Professional Information. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-893190-05-4.
  5. ↑ Shaw, Paul. "Blue Pencil no. 20—Zapfiana no. 1: About More Alphabets". Paul Shaw Letter Design. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Sistina". Linotype. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Still looking for refinements at 87". Linotype. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Palatino Nova Titling". Linotype. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
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