URW Grotesk
CategorySans-serif
Designer(s)Hermann Zapf
FoundryURW
Date created1983-7
Date released1987

URW Grotesk is a large sans-serif typeface family designed by Hermann Zapf for URW in the mid-1980s.[1][2]

URW Grotesk is a sans-serif of mixed design, with influences both of geometric sans-serifs of the 1920s and 1930s, such as Futura and Erbar, as well as "grotesque" and "humanist" sans-serifs.[2] Elements related to the geometric model include the "single-storey" letter 'a', based on a circle. Other elements are less purely geometric, and more based on classic serif typefaces, for example the 't' with a curl to bottom right and an angled stroke terminal, unlike Futura's 't' composed of two simple cross-strokes.[3][4] Some ideas for the design germinated from "Magnus", a 1950s design for Linotype that did not reach release.[2] Starting from Zapf's original designs, URW created an extremely large range of weights and widths by computerised interpolation and extrapolation.[5][2]

Florian Hardwig's obituary for Zapf described it as "not a typical design for him, utterly uncalligraphic...but it functioned wonderfully, of course."[6][7][8] It is the primary typeface used by the University of Nebraska at Omaha.[9] The design was originally intended for Axel Springer publications.[10] Zapf designed a serif companion font at the same time as part of the same (ultimately abandoned) redesign project, URW Antiqua.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Neil Macmillan (2006). An A-Z of Type Designers. Laurence King Publishing. pp. 105–6. ISBN 978-1-85669-395-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Weichselbaumer, Nikolaus Julius (14 December 2015). Der Typograph Hermann Zapf: Eine Werkbiographie. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 325–8. ISBN 978-3-11-041505-6.
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Dan. "How To Choose The Right Face For A Beautiful Body". Smashing Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Steven Heller, Gail (2007). New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 159. ISBN 9780823099597.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Coles, Stephen. "Alternatives to Futura". Fontshop. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ Hardwig, Florian. "In memoriam Hermann Zapf, 1918–2015 (German)". MyFonts. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Alternativen zur Futura". Peter Glaab Typografie + Visuelle Kommunication. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Reynolds, Dan. "Hermann Zapf receives Germany's highest honor". TypeOff. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "University Communications". University of Nebraska at Omaha. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "URW Grotesk". MyFonts. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Sieradzki, Maria. "Gute Schriften: URW Antiqua". HBK Saar. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
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