The main influence on Helvetica was Akzidenz-Grotesk from Berthold Hoffman's scrapbook of proofs of the design shows careful comparison of test proofs with snippets of Akzidenz-Grotesk. His goal is to design a new sans serif font that can compete in the Swiss market, as a neutral font that should not be given any additional meaning. The first version of the typeface (which later became known as Helvetica) was created in 1957 by Swiss type designer Max Miedinger. This design appears to use Helvetica or a close imitation. Ī 1969 poster by Robert Geisser exemplifying the "Swiss" style of the 1950s and 60s: solid red colour, simple images and neo-grotesque sans-serif type, all in lower case. A feature-length film directed by Gary Hustwit was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957. Originally named Neue Haas Grotesk (New Haas Grotesque), it was rapidly licensed by Linotype and renamed Helvetica in 1960, which in Latin means "Swiss" (from Helvetia), capitalising on Switzerland's reputation as a centre of ultra-modern graphic design. Miedinger and Hoffmann set out to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage. Hoffmann was the president of the Haas Type Foundry, while Miedinger was a freelance graphic designer who had formerly worked as a Haas salesman and designer. Notable features of Helvetica as originally designed include a high x-height, the termination of strokes on horizontal or vertical lines and an unusually tight spacing between letters, which combine to give it a dense, solid appearance.ĭeveloped by the Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei ( Haas Type Foundry) of Münchenstein ( Basel), Switzerland, its release was planned to match a trend: a resurgence of interest in turn-of-the-century "grotesque" sans-serifs among European graphic designers, that also saw the release of Univers by Adrian Frutiger the same year. Over the years, a wide range of variants have been released in different weights, widths, and sizes, as well as matching designs for a range of non-Latin alphabets. Its use became a hallmark of the International Typographic Style that emerged from the work of Swiss designers in the 1950s and '60s, becoming one of the most popular typefaces of the mid-20th century. Helvetica is a neo-grotesque design, one influenced by the famous 19th century (1890s) typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. Helvetica or Neue Haas Grotesk is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. If you want a fantastic alternative to Helvetica, take a look at Acumin Pro.1957 sans-serif typeface developed by Max Miedinger Helvetica The article completely misses this point.
HELVETICA NEUE ALTERNATIVE WINDOWS
It's very useful in a large organization where the front facing design language needs to be a little more friendly, but employees who are using the stock windows fonts can use Arial as a drop in substitute. It's metrically compatible with Arial and Helvetica, but adds a subtle touch of humanism that they both lack. It's not informal, but in the world of sans serif type, comparing it to Helvetica is like comparing a suit and tie to a nice synthetic polo shirt.Īrimo is a very interesting typeface when compared to Helvetica.
HELVETICA NEUE ALTERNATIVE PRO
Source Sans Pro has a very friendly and open air about it. Helvetica is a very unemotional, serious font it's about as formal as a sans serif font can be. Source Sans pro is a great typeface, and while your average person wouldn't know the difference between it and Helvetica, it's a humanist typeface which gives a very different flavour to words than a neo-grotesque like Helvetica does. It's not completely wrong, TeX Gyre Heros and Unb Pro are good substitutes for Helvetica, but Work Sans and Source Sans Pro don't work as Helvetica substitutes. I feel like it was written by someone who knows very little about typefaces and just picked some nice sans serif fonts.