LinoLetter 2007/11

Linotype’s Hamada typeface is a powerfully built script design that brings the work of English calligrapher Gaynor Goffe into the digital world. It captures the feeling of the pen on the page; ink edges out from the contours, and moves across curves, letters, and lines! This creates a delightful image, especially in larger point sizes. Thanks to the OpenType® font format, Hamada creates an impression very much like that of real calligraphy – an effect that is similar to Linotype’s famous Zapfino® typeface. Most of the letters in Hamada have alternate forms. The typeface also includes a number of ligatures, as well as swashes to appear at the end of a line of text. Hamada is a contemporary typeface for the 21st century, not only because of its technical sophistication, but also because of its casual, loose appearance and wide character.

Since the late 1990s, Linotype has brought new typefaces onto the market that have changed the way the world communicates. Many of our fonts are found on computers in all parts of the globe, and a few have even become household names – at least among graphic designers! To celebrate our contribution to visual design, we’ve created a new page on our website highlighting more than 50 typeface families from the past 10 years that we believe have made a difference. Aside from Platinum Collection faces like Linotype Univers® and Optima nova®, you’ll find great workhorse sans serif families like Agilita® and Linotype Gothic™. Also included are typefaces for signage, like Vialog®, and typefaces for cartography, like Cisalpin™. Additionally, this page includes a few surprises, like the Diverda™ type system, the brilliant serif Linotype Really™, and the Scandinavian display type Noa™. Finally, no review of the past ten years would be complete without the many script faces that have shaped our environment. In addition to our famous Zapfino, this page presents other gems like Linotype Ego™, Expectation™, Pirouette™, and Sunetta™.

Soon, the time to begin creating holiday pieces, cards, and gifts will be upon many designers. Choosing the right font helps lend a special message to your greetings, and good graphic symbols and pictograms do even more so! In 2007, Linotype added a number of new holiday-themed, or otherwise festive types to our site to come to your rescue. In addition to many of our classic selections, 14 diverse families are now available, including seven script-like designs, four other alphabets, and three symbol collections. Let us introduce you to Civilité MJ™ or Stuyvesant™ for flair, Colonna® or Monotype Engravers™ Old English for formality, or Mini Pics™ Snowflakes and Xmas™ for whimsicality!

Every year, Germany’s prestigious “Manager Magazin” (yes, without the “e”) reviews the annual reports from publicly traded companies on German-speaking stock exchanges. Ranked in terms of their design, as well as by stock market sector, this competition gives a great overview of German corporate design and identity. Once again, the 2007 results show that many corporations set their 2006 annual reports with Linotype typefaces. And one of our designs that often comes up among the top performers is the Compatil type system. For loyal LinoLetter readers, this will come as no surprise ... last year’s results showed great examples of Compatil in use as well.