Optima vs Trajan

Optima was influenced by Trajan — drawn from the Roman inscriptional capital tradition.

Optima specimen — Hermann Zapf, Stempel 1958

Optima

Hermann Zapf's 1958 'serifless roman' — a humanist sans whose stems gently flare toward their ends, splitting the difference between sans and serif. Inspired by lettering Zapf sketched on Florentine grave slabs.

  • Serifless stems that flare gently at the terminals
  • Tapered 'waisted' strokes with modulated, swelling contrast
  • Classical Roman capital proportions of varied width
  • Calligraphic stress recalling chiselled inscriptional letters
  • No bracketed serifs, yet clear thick/thin modulation
Full Optima guide →
Type specimen — Trajan (Glyphic / inscriptional); shown in Cinzel, a close match (OFL)

Trajan

Carol Twombly's 1989 all-capitals titling face, drawn after the Roman inscription at the base of Trajan's Column. Monumental, classical, and inescapable on film posters and book jackets.

  • Capitals only — no lowercase
  • Small, triangular, flaring (incised) serifs
  • Moderate contrast with subtly modelled strokes
  • Classical Roman inscriptional proportions
  • Wide R with a long, gracefully curving leg
Full Trajan guide →

At a glance

OptimaTrajan
Era19581989
DisciplineTypographyTypography
RegionGermanyUnited States
FamilyHumanist Sans, GlyphicSerif
Formal traitsflared-stems, modulated-contrast, calligraphic, seriflessglyphic, incised, flared-terminal, low-contrast

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