Helvetica’s relatively less popular but ubiquitous cousin, Univers also got a facelift in 2010 after 30 years before Adrian Frutiger passed away under the name “Univers Next” [1], the most prominent aspect of the redesign being the return of 16 degree italics blessed by Frutiger himself.
In my view, Univers evokes a deep feeling of sophistication unlike any other font. Helvetica has the “grunge” and New York aesthetic after it took over the graphic design scene in the 70’s and 80’s whereas Univers was silently used in engineering manuals, control panels, branding, keyboards(Apple), movie credits [2] and UI without much fuss. It never became cool and edgy as Helvetica, never tried to be something it is not and doesn't have a following. I was lucky enough to visit the archives [3] in a obscure drawer at the Museum fur Gestaltung in Zurich, seeing the original manuscripts of Univers was an extraordinary feeling. Created in 1950, it is truly timeless and sits along with other giants of contemporary typefaces such as Futura and Eurostile, perhaps in the back row towards the corner.
Honestly, it's right there in the names. Helvetica projects a very Swiss Modern feel to it. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes it's not. Univers is the most neutral typeface around that's got any personality at all. (I've always felt Haas Unica and many of the modern sans faces, especially the "brand" ones, have so little character to them that they're just completely bland and uninteresting.) Univers just... is. It's Frutiger's best design, and that's saying something.
Other favorites of mine include Trade Gothic (& friends) and Futura. I'm a huge fan of the 1930s-1970s "industrial" look, like you might find stamped on motor nameplates for heavy machinery, or the Apollo cockpits, or the IBM 360 consoles. These designs just scream _solid_ in a way that modern stuff... doesn't. (Maybe because it isn't.)
(Tangent to a tangent: does anyone know what typeface HP used on their equipment in the '70s through '90s? It's a very close cousin to Univers, but not identical. Maybe something internal only? I don't think it's just an odd cut of any of the usual suspects either. This is another typeface that has always connoted reliability and stuff that Just Works to me.)
Still, though, like you, I'd say Univers is my favorite more days than not. If I had to pick only one typeface, it'd be the one (more days than not)... just don't make me do that :)
NASA listed its preferred typefaces for workstation panels in Section 9.5.3.1.14.1 of NASA-STD-3000, the Man-System Integration Standards.[0] Engraved lettering, in order of preference, was set in Futura Demibold, Gorton Normal, or Gorton Condensed. They're also listed on page 113 of the Databook for Human Factors Engineers Volume I Human Engineering Data,[1] along with other very interesting design guidelines.
The Gorton typefaces were part of the MASTER COPY type templates[2][3] produced by George Gorton Machine Co. for its Pantograph engraving machines, and were commonly used for civilian and military aircraft panels produced from at least the late 40s onwards, possibly earlier (the linked catalog is from 1947). Since many of those contractors were heavily involved in Mercury and later Apollo, it makes sense that they used the same engraving machines and type. IBM also used Gorton when it started producing double shot keycaps for its keyboards in the 70s. There's also a modified version, Gorton Modified, that was created by Signature Plastics for keycaps that's still used today for SA profile caps.
Unfortunately, the Gorton plotter fonts have never been revived for digital use despite their interesting history.
Univers makes me think of something like 2001: A Space Odyssey where computers are just running everything and they've long since figured out how to do it efficiently.
If you like those fonts and have a Win10 installation somewhere, look for Bahnschrift. New variable type font that looks like DIN that’s included since some Windows 10 version.
You did mention its usage on pre-2003 Apple keyboards (Univers 57 Condensed Oblique), but I'm so nostalgic for that usage in particular that I wanted to share a photo for those who aren't familiar: https://i.imgur.com/eiSx7nn.jpg
This has nothing to do with it, but for hardware interfaces I grew to love DIN Next, which is inspired by the classic German Industry font DIN 1451 Engschrift and DIN1451 Mittelschrift
Big fan of Univers. The best thing about it for me is the sophistication of the letter spacing - Helvetica is just sort of banged together, and of course in modern usage is often set 'tight but not touching' for design reasons, but the spacing in Univers is so carefully done that the text has a lovely rhythm on the page. Frutiger was a genius.
Google's Roboto is a very close drop-in replacement for Helvetica. Almost the same metrics, slightly more "condensed"/DIN feel.
You may also consider FreeSans (GNU replacement for Helvetica) and Liberation Sans (which is a metric replacement for Arial, which is an alternative for Helvetica...)
I find Univers much more stately than Helvetica. I think neither are very good for screen or small text, and obviously they weren’t designed for screen at the time, but you still see people specifying Helvetica variants on their webpages. Univers is very nice, but for anyone making any hobby website, maybe set it to system-ui,sans-serif or use Inter, or something modern with personality like Fira.
I have to say, the movie poster example does it no favors. But, then again, it seems to be most movie poster designer's prerogative to turn credits into vertical lines.
I'm partial to Futura and Gill Sans when it comes to sans-serif fonts. For display stuff, that is. Akzidenz-Grotesk is a pretty good text sans-serif.
I know it's a "design" website and all, but can't they just show an A-Z so I can look at it?
The official website has better representations, but is still full of a load of flashy animations and videos before you get to the actual font
https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now
I was thinking the same thing and went through the whole article looking for a representation of the old font vs. the new font. It's my understanding that the only changes where kerning and slight shape changes but a picture of them side-by-side would be nice.
I did a little comparison between the bold weight of Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, and Helvetica Now, and the new typeface does look really, really nice. The letterforms aren't too noticeably different, but the kerning and relative positioning of the letters have been tweaked in such a way as to make the font appear more pleasing and readable (at least on my computer display). I'm also pleased this new font is available for use on websites via Fonts.com and in mockup work via SkyFonts. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind for future projects.
Interesting. The new design makes it seem like they're trying to get away from the political stigma of Helvetica, while also kind of poking fun at it. Whereas the idea of Helvetica was to evoke things like openness, transparency, neutrality, naturalness, etc., the new typeface strikes me as being much more opinionated, but in a purposely understated sort of way.
In a lot of ways it really looks like someone took the core ideologies of modern third-places and distilled them into a visual type system, which maybe says something about the privatization of formerly public spaces and infrastructure over the past 50+ years.
I mean if you watch the documentary Helvetica they do a pretty good job of explaining both the political statement the typeface was trying to make, the backlash against it as it was adopted/hijacked by corporations, and then the post-backlash period where we are now.
If you look at the new typeface it's clearly designed primarily for the needs of consumer products and advertising. They could have instead created a typeface that was purposely designed to look bad on consumer products and in advertising, but that's not the direction they went in. That's not an accident, it was a deliberate design decision.
Whereas the goal of the original typeface was to create a better society, the goal of the new one is basically to make it onto a Starbucks cup. It's not even a subtle difference, even though it's supposedly just an updated typeface the two are really night and day.
It looks OK from the specimens, Neue Haas Grotesk is still the best Helvetica IMO
...
Font licensing is immoral rent seeking that takes advantage of a legal loophole and goes against the spirit of the law in major countries (typefaces are ineligible for copyright in at least the US and Japan), and I'm always disheartened by how many individual designers and companies have fallen for it.
> Typefaces cannot be protected by copyright in the United States (Code of Federal Regulations, Ch 37, Sec. 202.1(e); Eltra Corp. vs. Ringer). The idea that typefaces (rather than fonts, which are computer software) cannot be copyrighted in the United States is black letter law. 37 C.F.R. § 202.1(e). Under U.S. law, typefaces and their letter forms or glyphs are considered utilitarian objects whose public utility outweighs any private interest in protecting their creative elements. However, there is a distinction between a font and a typeface. The machine code used to display a stylized typeface (called a font) is protectable as copyright. In 1992, the US Copyright Office determined that digital outline fonts had elements that could be protected as software. Since that time, the Office has accepted registration of copyright for digital vector fonts, such as PostScript Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType format files.
TL;DR
"On a computer, a typeface isn't a typeface so you have to pay us for it"
Not disagreeing, but to be fair, Helvetica Neue (neue meaning new in German), did not age well either. I would assume the creators are aware of that, maybe even choosing that name to be in the tradition of Neue.
Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here. What would make a comment like this interesting is specific information about what is bad in the diff and why. (That, plus maybe a bit less name-calling.)
Does this mean Apple will license this and include it in macOS the way it does (presumably) with Helvetica and Helvetica Neue? I really have no idea how something like this happens.
Apple no longer use this front. They have created their own font, San Francisco, and started using it 3 to 4 years ago.
Edit: oh, I misunderstood! Apple might start using it, but they are not compelled to. A lot of other fonts such as Palatino have also been updated, but Apple doesn’t include them (yet).
Its not installed as an available font in MacOS, even though the its used for the UI. You can get it here if you want to use it within their licensing guidlines:
https://developer.apple.com/fonts/
Readit News
In my view, Univers evokes a deep feeling of sophistication unlike any other font. Helvetica has the “grunge” and New York aesthetic after it took over the graphic design scene in the 70’s and 80’s whereas Univers was silently used in engineering manuals, control panels, branding, keyboards(Apple), movie credits [2] and UI without much fuss. It never became cool and edgy as Helvetica, never tried to be something it is not and doesn't have a following. I was lucky enough to visit the archives [3] in a obscure drawer at the Museum fur Gestaltung in Zurich, seeing the original manuscripts of Univers was an extraordinary feeling. Created in 1950, it is truly timeless and sits along with other giants of contemporary typefaces such as Futura and Eurostile, perhaps in the back row towards the corner.
Univers was, is and always will be.
It’s my favorite font.
[1] https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/univers-next/
[2] https://www.dafont.com/forum/read/5633/what-s-the-font-for-m...
[3] https://www.eguide.ch/en/designer/adrian-frutiger/
Honestly, it's right there in the names. Helvetica projects a very Swiss Modern feel to it. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes it's not. Univers is the most neutral typeface around that's got any personality at all. (I've always felt Haas Unica and many of the modern sans faces, especially the "brand" ones, have so little character to them that they're just completely bland and uninteresting.) Univers just... is. It's Frutiger's best design, and that's saying something.
Other favorites of mine include Trade Gothic (& friends) and Futura. I'm a huge fan of the 1930s-1970s "industrial" look, like you might find stamped on motor nameplates for heavy machinery, or the Apollo cockpits, or the IBM 360 consoles. These designs just scream _solid_ in a way that modern stuff... doesn't. (Maybe because it isn't.)
(Tangent to a tangent: does anyone know what typeface HP used on their equipment in the '70s through '90s? It's a very close cousin to Univers, but not identical. Maybe something internal only? I don't think it's just an odd cut of any of the usual suspects either. This is another typeface that has always connoted reliability and stuff that Just Works to me.)
Still, though, like you, I'd say Univers is my favorite more days than not. If I had to pick only one typeface, it'd be the one (more days than not)... just don't make me do that :)
The Gorton typefaces were part of the MASTER COPY type templates[2][3] produced by George Gorton Machine Co. for its Pantograph engraving machines, and were commonly used for civilian and military aircraft panels produced from at least the late 40s onwards, possibly earlier (the linked catalog is from 1947). Since many of those contractors were heavily involved in Mercury and later Apollo, it makes sense that they used the same engraving machines and type. IBM also used Gorton when it started producing double shot keycaps for its keyboards in the 70s. There's also a modified version, Gorton Modified, that was created by Signature Plastics for keycaps that's still used today for SA profile caps.
Unfortunately, the Gorton plotter fonts have never been revived for digital use despite their interesting history.
0. https://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/sections/section09.htm#_9.5_LABELI...
1. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/197100...
2. http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-80708.html
3. http://gorton-machine.org/forms/form_1309d/index.html
[1] https://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/
Very nice indeed, very “German”. I can see how an engineer would find this font lovely.
Open Sans is a poor replacement. I quite like Source Sans Pro but it isn't the same as Helvetica
You may also consider FreeSans (GNU replacement for Helvetica) and Liberation Sans (which is a metric replacement for Arial, which is an alternative for Helvetica...)
Also, what's wrong with Open Sans?
https://public-sans.digital.gov/
Not quite as grotesque as Helvetica too.
I'm partial to Futura and Gill Sans when it comes to sans-serif fonts. For display stuff, that is. Akzidenz-Grotesk is a pretty good text sans-serif.
The official website has better representations, but is still full of a load of flashy animations and videos before you get to the actual font https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now
In a lot of ways it really looks like someone took the core ideologies of modern third-places and distilled them into a visual type system, which maybe says something about the privatization of formerly public spaces and infrastructure over the past 50+ years.
If you look at the new typeface it's clearly designed primarily for the needs of consumer products and advertising. They could have instead created a typeface that was purposely designed to look bad on consumer products and in advertising, but that's not the direction they went in. That's not an accident, it was a deliberate design decision.
Whereas the goal of the original typeface was to create a better society, the goal of the new one is basically to make it onto a Starbucks cup. It's not even a subtle difference, even though it's supposedly just an updated typeface the two are really night and day.
...
Font licensing is immoral rent seeking that takes advantage of a legal loophole and goes against the spirit of the law in major countries (typefaces are ineligible for copyright in at least the US and Japan), and I'm always disheartened by how many individual designers and companies have fallen for it.
At the moment, I'm basically required to include traffic trackers for many of the best fonts.
> Typefaces cannot be protected by copyright in the United States (Code of Federal Regulations, Ch 37, Sec. 202.1(e); Eltra Corp. vs. Ringer). The idea that typefaces (rather than fonts, which are computer software) cannot be copyrighted in the United States is black letter law. 37 C.F.R. § 202.1(e). Under U.S. law, typefaces and their letter forms or glyphs are considered utilitarian objects whose public utility outweighs any private interest in protecting their creative elements. However, there is a distinction between a font and a typeface. The machine code used to display a stylized typeface (called a font) is protectable as copyright. In 1992, the US Copyright Office determined that digital outline fonts had elements that could be protected as software. Since that time, the Office has accepted registration of copyright for digital vector fonts, such as PostScript Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType format files.
TL;DR
"On a computer, a typeface isn't a typeface so you have to pay us for it"
c.f. Apple and rounded corners, Mickey Mouse...
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Edit: no, you guys are right, I totally didn't get the joke.
Edit: oh, I misunderstood! Apple might start using it, but they are not compelled to. A lot of other fonts such as Palatino have also been updated, but Apple doesn’t include them (yet).