Zapf Dingbats
Encyclopedia
Zapf Dingbats is one of the more common dingbat
typeface
s. It was designed by the typographer Hermann Zapf
in 1978 and licensed by International Typeface Corporation
.
In 1977, Zapf created about 1000 (or over 1200 according to Linotype) sketches of signs and symbols. ITC chose from those a subset of 360 symbols, ornaments and typographic elements based on the original designs, which became known as Zapf Dingbats.
The font first gained wide distribution when ITC Zapf Dingbats, which consists of the subset chosen by ITC, became one of 35 PostScript fonts built into Apple's LaserWriter Plus
.
The ITC glyph set is included in Unicode
and it is one of the "Basic 14" typefaces guaranteed to be available for PDF files.
ZapfDingbats, PostScript
version of ITC Zapf Dingbats, is distributed with Acrobat Reader 5 and 5.1.
Examples of characters included in Unicode (ITC Zapf dingbats series 100 and others):
, radical editor of experimental music magazine Ray Gun
, lent the font a degree of notoriety in 1994 when he printed an interview with Bryan Ferry
in the magazine entirely in the symbols-only font – the double-page spread was of course, quite illegible and would have to be interpreted like a cryptogram
for those unfamiliar with the font. He said he did it because the interview was "incredibly boring" and that upon searching his typeface collection for a suitable font and ending at Zapf Dingbats, decided to use it with hopes of making the article interesting again.
Dingbat
A dingbat is an ornament, character or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a "printer's ornament" or "printer's character"....
typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
s. It was designed by the typographer Hermann Zapf
Hermann Zapf
Hermann Zapf is a German typeface designer who lives in Darmstadt, Germany. He is married to calligrapher and typeface designer Gudrun Zapf von Hesse....
in 1978 and licensed by International Typeface Corporation
International Typeface Corporation
The International Typeface Corporation was a type manufacturer founded in New York in 1970 by Aaron Burns, Herb Lubalin, and Edward Rondthaler. The company was one of the world's first type foundries to have no history in the production of metal type...
.
In 1977, Zapf created about 1000 (or over 1200 according to Linotype) sketches of signs and symbols. ITC chose from those a subset of 360 symbols, ornaments and typographic elements based on the original designs, which became known as Zapf Dingbats.
The font first gained wide distribution when ITC Zapf Dingbats, which consists of the subset chosen by ITC, became one of 35 PostScript fonts built into Apple's LaserWriter Plus
LaserWriter
The LaserWriter was a laser printer with built-in PostScript interpreter introduced by Apple in 1985. It was one of the first laser printers available to the mass market...
.
The ITC glyph set is included in Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
and it is one of the "Basic 14" typefaces guaranteed to be available for PDF files.
ZapfDingbats, PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
version of ITC Zapf Dingbats, is distributed with Acrobat Reader 5 and 5.1.
Zapf Essentials
This is an update to the Zapf Dingbats family which consists of 6 symbol-encoded fonts categorized in Arrows One (black arrows), Arrows Two (white arrows, patterned arrows), Communication (pointing fingers, communication devices), Markers (squares, triangles, circles, ticks, hearts, crosses, check marks, leafs), Office (pen, clock, currency, scissors, hand), Ornaments (flowers, stars), for a total of 372 glyphs. However, not all ITC Zapf Dingbats glyphs are included in the Zapf Essentials collections (e.g.: airplane, letter).Examples of characters included in Unicode (ITC Zapf dingbats series 100 and others):
| ✁ Scissors Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin... |
✂ | ✃ | ✄ | ☎ | ✆ | ✇ | ✈ | ✉ | ☛ | ☞ | ✌ | ✍ | ✎ | ✏ | |
| ✐ | ✑ | ✒ | ✓ Tick (checkmark) A tick is a mark used to indicate the concept "yes", for example "yes; this has been verified", "yes; that is the correct answer" or "yes; this [item or option] applies to me"... |
✔ | ✕ X mark An x mark is a mark used to indicate the concept of negation as well as affirmation... |
✖ | ✗ | ✘ | ✙ | ✚ | ✛ | ✜ | ✝ Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity... |
✞ Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity... |
✟ Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity... |
| ✠ Cross pattée A cross pattée is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the centre, and broader at the perimeter. An early English example from the start of the age of heraldry proper A cross pattée (or "cross patty", known also as "cross formée/formy") is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the... |
✡ Star of David The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles... |
✢ | ✣ | ✤ | ✥ | ✦ | ✧ | ★ Star (glyph) In typography, a star is any of several glyphs with a number of points arrayed within an imaginary circle.-Four points:-Five points:See also Five-pointed starSee also:* mullet * pentagram- Six points :See also:... |
✩ | ✪ | ✫ | ✬ | ✭ | ✮ | ✯ |
| ✰ | ✱ | ✲ | ✳ | ✴ | ✵ | ✶ | ✷ | ✸ | ✹ | ✺ Starburst (symbol) A starburst is a symbol consisting of a star surrounded by rays emanating from it. In Unicode, the starburst character is U+273A.... |
✻ | ✼ | ✽ | ✾ | ✿ |
| ❀ | ❁ | ❂ | ❃ | ❄ | ❅ | ❆ | ❇ | ❈ | ❉ | ❊ | ❋ | ● | ❍ | ■ | ❏ |
| ☺ | ☻ | ♥ | ♦ | ♣ | ♠ | • | ◘ | ○ | ❐ | ❑ | ❒ | ▲ | ▼ | ◆ | ❖ |
| ◗ | ❘ | ❙ | ❚ | ❛ | ❜ | ❝ | ❞ |
Usages
David CarsonDavid Carson (graphic designer)
David Carson is an American graphic designer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He was the art director for the magazine Ray Gun. Carson was perhaps the most influential graphic designer of the 1990s...
, radical editor of experimental music magazine Ray Gun
Ray Gun (magazine)
Ray Gun was an American alternative rock-and-roll magazine, first published in 1992 in Santa Monica, California. Led by founding art director David Carson, Ray Gun explored experimental magazine typographic design. The result was a chaotic, abstract style, not always readable, but distinctive in...
, lent the font a degree of notoriety in 1994 when he printed an interview with Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
in the magazine entirely in the symbols-only font – the double-page spread was of course, quite illegible and would have to be interpreted like a cryptogram
Cryptogram
A cryptogram is a type of puzzle which consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that cryptogram can be solved by hand. Frequently used are substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by a different letter or number. To solve...
for those unfamiliar with the font. He said he did it because the interview was "incredibly boring" and that upon searching his typeface collection for a suitable font and ending at Zapf Dingbats, decided to use it with hopes of making the article interesting again.