Gudrun Zapf von Hesse found a job with the Bauer Type Foundry in Frankfurt just after the Second World War, although her interest in lettering had been sparked much earlier by calligraphers such as Edward Johnston and Rudolf Koch. She developed her alphabet during her time in Frankfurt, where she punch cut the letters onto wooden handles and used them for title lettering on leather book covers and spines. The first book to use Hesse Antiqua was the anniversary book of Georg Hartmann’s 75th birthday in 1946. 70 years later, after innovating her initial alphabet, Gudrun can add digital typeface designer to her list of accomplishments.
