Helvetica, the Timeless Font (2024)

FAQs

Helvetica, the Timeless Font? ›

Helvetica is plain but it is also modern and timeless.

Helvetica is plain but it is also modern and timeless.

Armin Vit, another detractor, wrote an article entitled, “Why I Hate Helvetica,” wherein he likens the letter style to obsolete 1960's technology, like rotary-dial telephones.

Helvetica, the Timeless Font.

Helvetica's success might be explained by its unique characteristics which include a tall x-height, making the typeface easier to read at distance, as well as the unusually tight spacing between letters that give the typeface a dense, solid appearance, making it perfect for capturing headlines.

Legibility. And here is the best reason for why Helvetica could be said to be bad, which is that it's very low in legibility. Legibility is the ease at which letters can be differentiated from each other. In the case of Helvetica, some characters are quite hard to tell apart.

When used as text or a user interface, the font's tight spacing and uniformity pose readability issues. Moreover, he says, designers often blindly use Helvetica because of its “neutral” design without thinking much about context, which he defines as cultural environment, competitive products, format and medium.

In case you're wondering, Apple ditched Helvetica Neue in 2015 because of its flaws. They've designed a new default system font called San Francisco.

Proxima Nova by Mark Simonson

Since the mid-2010s, it's become the most popular paid-for font on the web and is used on thousands of websites around the world. Proxima Nova is available in seven weights, each with matching italics as well as small caps styles and condensed and extra condensed widths.

What is the most iconic font of all time? ›

Helvetica. Without a doubt one of the biggest and beloved typefaces ever made, Helvetica (or Neue Haas Grotesk) is a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by type designers Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann.

Old Standard. The Old Standard typeface is a set of vintage style fonts with its uppercase in cursive, and lowercase in sans serif. The vintage font style is a great choice if you want to create designs that have a handwritten feel.

Helvetica

The most commonly used font is Helvetica. Max Miedinger, a Swiss designer, initially created Helvetica in 1957. Designed to be simple to read, the font immediately gained popularity. It is named after the Latin term for Switzerland, Helvetia.

Helvetica is a sharper, crisper design with more stylish details and a slightly more rectangular (or less rounded) appearance. You can see these traits in the leg of the cap R, the curved diagonal on the numeral 2, the more accentuated stroke endings, and the blunt horizontal or vertical end strokes on many characters.

Helvetica has some more stylish features (like the tail at the a) and horizontal stroke endings (like at the c) and Arial has more open shapes (which makes it easier to read in small sizes). These differences are more visible at larger sizes, in small sizes they kind of disappear.

Helvetica. Helvetica says that you are artsy and interested in design.

Its tight spacing, uniformity, and relative lack of rhythm and contrast pose significant readability and legibility issues in these kinds of settings.

It is a blank canvas, and just as any blank canvas hung in a museum, it would attract positive and negative opinions by its very nature. To call it a cliché, or classic, though, is Helvetic's conundrum. It is undoubtedly classic, and its rampant overuse causes it to stray pretty far into cliché territory.

Functionality. The digital Helvetica (particularly Neue Helvetica) that we know today is not great for text or UI. Its tight spacing, uniformity, and relative lack of rhythm and contrast pose significant readability and legibility issues in these kinds of settings. Context.

What is the advantage of Helvetica? ›

Helvetica font is one of the few fonts that include worth so if you use it on the logo of your brand, you are going to enjoy a lot of benefits. Not only does it put on uniqueness, but it also reflects professionalism and knows how to apprehend someone's attention.

Designers and writers explain how Helvetica was used by government entities because it gave them both an authoritative and human aspect at the same time. It is wonderful also that Helvetica can also be free and fun. Compare the logos of American Airlines and American Apparel.

We now refer to it as the most appropriate font due to its smooth lines, modern efficiency, and, most importantly, its neutrality. Initially, this popular typeface was called Neue Haas Grotesk, and then it was changed in 1960 to Helvetica, which translates to "Swiss" in Latin.

Tesla use Gotham as main typeface.

Since the 1950s, designers have been choosing Helvetica, because it is assumed to be a “neutral” design. Over 40 companies are using the font because of its clarity and uniformed lettering.

Arial, Helvetica and Verdana are the most common. They're usually used online, but are becoming increasingly acceptable in printed materials. The generally accepted wisdom is that serifed typefaces are better for printed material, because the serifs guide the reader's eye along the line.

Pricing and availability.

Helvetica Now Variable Pro Roman and Pro Italic are available for $299 or €329 each. The complete Helvetica Now Variable Family Pack is available for $499 or €549.

The popularity of Helvetica continues today. It was the system font on the original iPhone, and it remained part of iOS until 2015, when Apple replaced it with its own San Francisco.

As for the Helvetica you already know, it will remain on T-shirts and websites for now. Companies and their designers will have to buy the rights to license Helvetica Now, which means it won't replace everything you see right away.

While it is true that Arial was intended to be a competitor to Helvetica – as Helvetica was to Akzidenz Grotesk – the intention was not to copy it. In fact, Arial is based on the Monotype Grotesque® typeface, a design first drawn at the turn of the last century.

What is Apple's iconic font? ›

In cases where the Apple logo was accompanied by text, it was always set in Apple Garamond.

Times New Roman (serif)

Times New Roman is the ultimate serif font. It's extremely popular and the primary font for Windows devices and applications, like Microsoft Word.

Helvetica. Along with Georgia, Helvetica is considered to be one of the most easy-to-read fonts according to The Next Web. This is a sans-serif font and one of the world's most popular typefaces — a modern classic.

“Older adults and people with low vision have less difficulty processing type faces like Arial or Helvetica. Without the serifs, it's easier to recognize characters. The thing you'll hear the most from older adults, though, is to make the type larger.

Recoleta. Recoleta is a font that is a true study in 70's type combining soft round shapes and sharp-angled strokes. It comes in multiple weights, and its refined style is perfect for everything from resumes or business cards to website templates or greeting cards.

The opening titles of Good Times use ITC Souvenir Bold, with some of the swash alternates that were included in the original phototype version, but are missing from the digitization. The same typeface was also used for the titles of Alice .

Garamond is a classic font because it is both elegant and legible at varying sizes. The fonts that have stood the test of time, like Garamond, have remained popular with designers because they're legible in a variety of sizes, colors and compositions.

Now, the differences between Times New Roman and Helvetica are many, but the major distinction is this: Times is a serif typeface, meaning it has flourishes that finish each character, whereas Helvetica is a sans serif, which means it lacks those flourishes.

Helvetica or Neue Haas Grotesk is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with input from Eduard Hoffmann.

Why the Haters Hate. For some critics, Helvetica has fallen victim to the banality of overuse. The day the US Department of Agriculture decides it loves a style, that style is officially uncool.

Who uses Helvetica font? ›

Even the United State government is not left out as the federal tax forms use the Helvetica font, as well as NASA (on the Space Shuttle orbiter). As the most widely-used sans serif typeface, versions of Helvetica exist for Japanese, Korean, Latin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Greek, and even Chinese faces.

Designers often choose Helvetica either because it is assumed to be a “neutral” design that is compatible with any kind of content and will not distract from it.

Arial is the more rounded typeface of the two, with softer, fuller curves and open counters. In contrast to the Helvetica typeface, Arial has an overall less elegant feel and a blander appearance. It also has a diagonal terminal on the t as well as the numeral 1, and a curved tail on the capital Q.

Courier, initially designed for typewriters, is another family of fonts that falls on the overused list. Designers and branding agencies avoid this font, primarily due to its improperly measured lettering.

Helvetica. Along with Georgia, Helvetica is considered to be one of the most easy to read fonts according to The Next Web. This is a sans-serif font and one of the world's most popular typefaces—a modern classic.