Hamada™ takes hand-drawn semblance to a new level – May 19, 2008

Linotype digitizes contemporary calligrapher’s script



Bad Homburg, May 19, 2008. When it was released ten years ago, Linotype’s Zapfino®™ typeface set a new standard for digitized calligraphy. With the release of the Hamada™ design, Linotype further explores this field with similar boldness, but a significantly different feel. To feign authenticity, Hamada takes a unique approach, implementing edgy contours, inky lines, playful swashes. Warm, intimate and sophisticated, this multi-ligature new typeface has been digitized by Akira Kobayashi, Type Director at Linotype, in close collaboration with English calligrapher Gaynor Goffe.

Hamada is a contemporary typeface for the 21st century, not only because of its technical sophistication, but also its casual, unhurried appearance and wide flowing character. Hamada truly captures the feeling of the pen on the page, as ink seems to edge out contours and flow elegantly across curves, letters, and lines. The effect is most impressive in larger point sizes.

The font’s feel of great elegance and refinement make it an ideal choice for display purposes, especially packaging design. It’s poetic and delicate air also lends itself well to greetings or as design work for the fashion and cosmetics industries.

The designer Gaynor Goffe has been honing her skills in fine penmanship since 1974. In the course of her career, she has developed a particular affinity for the more personal, creative aspect of calligraphy, specializing in work with painted backgrounds, gold leaf and collage, as well as experimenting with capitals and cursive scripts. Add in Akira Kobayashi’s finely attuned sensibilities and digitization expertise and the result is Hamada.

The name, one may think, is inspired by the legendary Japanese ceramist Shoji Hamada. Yet Goffe’s daughter coincidentally has a boyfriend named Hamada, as well. Goffe likes to leave the subject open to interpretation, merely stating: “I thought the musicality of the name aptly described the flowing nature of the script.”

Making use of sophisticated OpenType features , Hamada evokes the stunning illusion of real calligraphy. Since most of the letters in Hamada have alternate forms, if an application supports context-dependent OpenType functions (such as Adobe™ InDesign™), the alternatives are automatically used variably in the text.

The typeface also includes a number of ligatures and, in accordance with Linotype’s OpenType Com specifications, supports 48 European languages. Hamada is available for purchase at www.linotype.com.


Linotype GmbH, based in Bad Homburg, Germany and a wholly owned subsidiary of Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., looks back onto a history of more than 120 years. Building on its strong heritage, Linotype develops state-of-the-art font technology and offers more than 10,000 original typefaces, covering the whole typographic spectrum from antique to modern, from east to west, and from classical to experimental. All typefaces (in PostScript™ and TrueType™ format as well as more than 7,000 fonts in OpenType™) are now also available for instant download at www.linotype.com. In addition to supplying digital fonts, Linotype also offers comprehensive and individual consultation and support services for font applications in worldwide (corporate) communication.

Linotype GmbH
Du-Pont-Straße 1
D-61352 Bad Homburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 61 72 - 484 - 0
Fax: +49 (0) 61 72 - 484 - 499
E-Mail: [email protected]

Please find more typeface application samples on the Internet at www.linotype.com.




This press release is available as pdf file. Please download:

English version (93 kb)