Orbis Typographicus
The Typographic World According to Metzger and Zapf
Orbis Typographicus is the result of a decade of collaboration between friends in the 1970s: the world-famous typographer Hermann Zapf and an accomplished amateur printer, Philip L. Metzger. They embraced a creative design challenge that produced a masterful limited-edition book of quotes presented in experimental typographic layouts.
Zapf and Metzger’s Orbis, translated from Latin as the “Typographic World,” was released in 1980 in an edition of 99 copies. Ideas from across time were elevated to typographic artistry as its unbound sheets could be interchangeably displayed in a custom frame. The Orbis sold out quickly, to the astonishment of Metzger, whose printing career was an avocation.
This exhibition presents the 27 pages of the Orbis Typographicus in its entirety. Letters, drawings, and proofs from several archival collections at the Cary Graphic Arts Collection reveal the painstaking design process over time, with each participant delighting in the satisfaction of designing beautiful printed words on the page.
—Amelia Fontanel, curator
Jiya Naryani, designer
The complete Orbis Typographicus can be viewed online through a website created by Joshua Langman in 2013.
Save the date: A closing reception for this exhibition will be held on April 10, 2026, in conjunction with the RIT School of Design's Goudy Award for Excellence in Typography. More details to come.
Image Gallery
