Hermes Baby typewriter script font

Javier Alcaraz aka elcerezo

Hi, everyone,

I have a client who wants to use a typewriter font in a digital environment. He has a Hermes Baby with a distinctive script font. The typewriter was manufactured in Brazil during the late 1960s and early 1970s by Hermes Precisa Company, a subsidiary of the renowned Swiss company Hermes Paillard. You can learn more about its function and typeface in this video , and you can find some catalog details on this page from the Typewriters database.

It seems like in 1942, Hermes changed its typeface supplier from Iris Type GmbH in Berlin to Setag SA in Switzerland who became the main producer for most of the Hermes's typefaces. I came across an eye-catching project by Sophie Wietlisbach from the Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL) based on the work of this company and two other Swiss foundries.

In 1967, Setag created the first script font for Hermes, who introduced it in its Baby model. You can find out more about it here.

I wonder if someone here knows more about Setag type designs, who was in charge of the design department, and maybe if there's any digital font from this typeface already made. I attached a few pics (sorry, I have only uppercase samples by now)

Thanks in advance!

John Hudson

Sophie Wietlisbach is also working on a two-year research project on the work of Caractères SA, Setag and Novatype for Swiss typewriters, which concludes at the end of 2024. I would expect one or more publications to emerge from that. In any case, she is definitely the best person to get in touch with regarding Setag types and their designers.

Javier Alcaraz aka elcerezo

Thank you, John. I'll contact her.