Univers: A Typographic Analysis

A TYPOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

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univers

s

Adrian Frutiger is one of the most important type designers to emerge since World War II. He is the designer of many notable faces—the best known being the sans serifs Univers and Frutiger—and was one of the first designers to create type for film.

Crafts, and after his education he moved to Paris where he started to work at the Deberny & Peignot Type Foundry. Here he helped the foundry move classic typefaces used with traditional printing methods to newer phototypesettiwng technologies.

He was born in 1928 in Interlaken, Switzerland, and by the age of 16 was working as a printer’s apprentice near his hometown.

He studied at the Zurich School of Arts and

Frutiger has created a broad range of typefaces including OCR-B, a type for optical character recognition. He has embraced new technology and used it to his advantage in

faces such as Centennial, a modern whose fine serifs are made possible by recent improvements in definition.

More than ten years earlier his Iridium had demonstrated that the classical modern face was neither outdated nor necessarily caused legibility problems. Frutiger himself is skeptical about theories of legibility. He learned to read with gothic characters without difficulty and says legibility is solely a matter of habit.

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Frutiger’s Numerical System: The basic roman text type was given the number 55. Rows, organized by 10s, maintain a unified stroke thickness and shows variable widths. Columns are organized by even and odd digits—odd numbers classify upright variations and even numbers classify italic.

39

univers

Thin Ultra Condensed

45

univers Light

53

55

Extended

Roman

46

47

48

49

Light Oblique

Light Condensed

Light Condensed Oblique

Light Ultra Condensed

56

57

58

59

Oblique

Condensed

Condensed Oblique

Ultra Condensed

univers

univers univers

univers univers univers

univers

univers

63

65

66

67

68

Bold Extended

Bold

Bold Oblique

Bold Condensed

Bold Condensed Oblique

univers

univers

univers

73

75

76

Black Extended

Black

Black Oblique

univers univers 93

univers Extra Black Extended

univers univers

univers

univers univers

It is no coincidence that Frutiger’s interest in creating a functional and efficient type family followed well-documented scientific research done in the 1930s and ‘40s on the mechanics of eye movement during reading. Frutiger envisioned a large family with multiple widths and weights that maintained a unified design idiom.

Univers has become known for the variety of weights and set-widths included in the family, speaking to its versatility in both its looks and thus in its function.

Designed with phototypesetter in mind, Univers is based on a neutral, universally comprehensible numerical system. It was the first typeface in which the weights were classified with a numerical system. At the time it was designed it included 21 variations, and was the first type family to implement a numbering system as opposed to using names.

Today there are over 27 different variations of Univers available. The type family consists of 44 faces, with 16 uniquely numbered weight, width, position combinations.

TYPEFACE ORIGIN

Univers is a neo-grotesque sans-serif typeface that was released by Deberny & Peignot in 1957 in response to the perceived need for a utilitarian, versatile sans serif workhorse.

This same need drove the release of Helvetica in the same year. Frutiger’s dedication to newer technologies and mathematical precision was reflected in his ideation and creation of the typeface.

“Because photosetting has much more economical methods of typeface production than metal setting, the styles of a typeface family could be freed from the century-old triptych of Roman/Bold/Italic in favour of a complete and consistently structured range comprising a multitude of styles.”

— Adrian Frutiger

k DIAGONAL STROKES MEET AT STEM

Z C OT The c is smaller than the o because in open letters the white space achieves greater penetration into the form, thereby appearing larger. Frutiger departs from exact geometry to create visual evenness across the type. He is respecting the optical constructions of the human eye.

By overlapping a Z and a T of the same point size, variation in stroke thickness becomes apparent.

Frutiger’s decision to use different stroke thicknesses for the horizontal, diagonals, and verticals was a response to his assessment of visual discrepancies in other typefaces.

Frutiger’s goal in creating Univers was to achieve an expansive, integrated typefamily.

In order to do so, he was sensitive to the nuances of each letterform while simultaneously considering the overall system.

Inspired by his study of the limitations of existing sans serifs, Frutiger assumed: “A purely geometric character is unacceptable in the long run, for the vertical ones; an O

represented by a perfect circle strikes us as shapeless and has a disturbing effect on the word as a whole.”

Univers explores the departure from purely geometric characters and entrance into subtle nuances in changes of stroke thickness that remain a unified feel. The slight contrast in stroke weight, subtle angularities, and smallest hint of a calligraphic brush

stroke make the clean, functiona Univers a typeface with character as well.

In the case of Univers, this sophisticated approach to type-family design is supported by a well-considered set of typographical characteristics. It’s become known for the variety of weights and set-widths included in the family, which makes its usability vast in the design world and everyday life.

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aR legibility VERTICAL BACK

SLIGHT CURVE ON TAIL

TALL X-HEIGHT

Univers lends itself to versatility in its clean, minimal look. Its tall x-height promotes better readability and legibility, even when using its most narrow collection of fonts, addressing the concern that sans-serif type was more difficult to read than serif type. Enclosed apertures unite letters in the whole while combatting the extension of white space because of taller x-heights.

Strokes and turns occur in harsh 90 degree angles.The lack of tails in characters such as the “a� maintains the effort to present a clean, direct, and functional look. While Univers does features optically even stroke weights and a large x-height to improve legibility, it also departs from evenly geometric characters and incorporates subtle nuances in changes of stroke and style. While it maintains a diversity in utility, it also maintains a lively quality. Slight curves as noticed on the leg of a capital R gives character and uniqueness to a typeface that is predominantly unembellished. All of these innovations contributed to the overall harmony among letters, allowing for a smooth line flow.

G

R

SLIGHT LEG CURVE

TYPE TERMINOLOGY

90 DEGREE STROKE TURNS

cap height the height of a capital letter above the baseline for a partcular typeface

qb QqRrS OPTICAL SYMMETRY

counter

x-height the height of the main body of the lowercase letter.

baseline line upone which most letters sit and below which descenders extend

ENCLOSED APERTURES

leg tail

stroke end

Oo Oo Oo Gill Sans

Univers

Helvetica Neue

Stroke Weights and Counters The O’s show that Gill Sans has the widest form in character. The form of its O’s are most circular, shown both in stroke and especially in their counter form circular form, shown in its stroke and especially in its upper case. Univers has the most oval form.

QQQ Gill Sans

Univers

Stroke Endings The tails of the uppercase Q’s show the distint difference in the three typefaces. Gill Sans develops a stylized form with its angular sharp calligraphic and thick tail. Helvetica’s tail cuts at a distinct angle, disrupting the counter form. Univers relieves the counter form from disruption. It’s tail rests on the baseline.

Univers continues to create an extremely stable quality while at the same time adding a slight curve on its end to give the typeface character while stabilizing it.

JJJ Gill Sans

Univers

Helvetica Neue

hey hey hey Gill Sans

Helvetica Neue

Univers

Helvetica Neue

End of Stroke Style The uppercase J of Gill Sans shows a more heavily stylized aesthetic, mixing perpendicular stroke endings (at the cap height) with angular, calligraphic ending at the bottom.

The uppercase J’s of Univers and Helvetica Neue maintain a more even stroke weight, 90 degree angles at all of their stroke endings, and a more balanced, geometric quality.

Univers shows a slightly weight change.

Ascenders, Descenders, X-Height The dotted lines show the Gill Sans ascender, descender, and x-heights. Both Univers and Helvetica Neue have shorter ascenders and descenders in comparison and also taller x-heights to promote readability in their more condensed forms.

aaa Gill Sans

Univers

Univers

Uu

Univers

Helvetica Neue

Intersection of bowl and stem Univers’s lowercase “a” has a perpendicular, connection from bowl to stem. Gill Sans and Helvetica connect stem to bowl at an angle, creating drastically different counter forms.

Optically, Univers appears stable with weight most evenly distributed. It appears geometric while maintaining a subtle style with its minor reductions in weight medially.

Gill Sans

TYPEFACE COMPARISONS

Dot The dots reinforce the taller x-height of Helvetica Neue and Univers. Gill Sans has a circular dot that seems to rest on top of the stem of the i. Both Univers and Helvetica Neue have more distance between the stem and dot. Both seems to stabilize the letter.

Gg

Gill Sans

Type Designer: Adrian Frutiger Foundry: Debery & Peignot, 1957 Classification: Neo-GrotesqueSans-Serif Characteristics: Univers contains slight stroke modulations, and squaring of round strokes. The two-storied “a” is the most distinctive, with a straight back, baseline curl, and perpendicular connection at top of bowl.

Type Designer: Max Midinger Foundry: Haas , 1957 Classification: Neo-Grotesque Sans-Serif Characteristics: Gill Sans is a classical typeface with an Art Deco Influence.

Lettering is based on roman proportions, which gives it a less mechanical feel. Its range of weights appears darker and less evenly distributed when compared to similar typefaces.

Hh

Helvetica

Type Designer: Gill Sans Foundry: Monotype, Type Designer: Max1928 Midinger Classification: Foundry: Haas ,Sans-Serif 1957 Classification: Neo-Grotesque Sans-Serif Characteristics: Helvetica makes use of negative space surrounding letter and lines that make up the characters. It has monotone stroke weights, partly why it remains legible when in motion. Characters are always vertically and horizontally terminated. Stroke are never diagonal.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Pincus W. Jaspert, The Encyclopaedia of Typefaces. (Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1983), 69-70.

Alexander S. Lawson, Anatomy of a Typeface (Boston: D.R. Godine, 1990), 304.

Jennifer Gibson. Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces (New York: RC Publications), 171.

Ibid, 173.

Linotype Library GmbH, Available at http://www.linotype.com/7-267-7-13347/univers.html Accessed November 1, 2005 Blackwell, Lewis. 20th-Century Type. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.(A&A: Z250.A2 B59 1998 and Vault) Kunz, Willi. Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics. Sulgen: Verlag Niggli AG, 2000. (A&A: Z246 .K86 2000 and Vault) Carter, Sebastian. Twentieth Century Type Designers. Great Britain: Lund Humphries, 2002.

(A&A: Z250 A2 C364 1995 and Vault) Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces, essays by Carolyn Annand ... [et al.]; edited by Philip B. Meggs and Roy McKelvey, New York: RC Publications, 2000. http://www.linotype.com http://www.fonts.com “Univers | Typophile.” Univers | Typophile. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.

“Adobe Store - North America.” Adobe -. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

“Adobe Store - North America.” Adobe -. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

This book was designed in the Spring of 2013 by Alexis Copithorne for a Typography I Course in the Communication Design Major at the Sam Fox College of Design and Visual Arts. Typefaces used are Baskerville, Univers, Helvetica Neue, and Gill Sans. This book was printed on an HP Designjet T7100ps printer using heavyweight matte paper.