A COLLECTION OF
TYPOGRAPHIC SPECIMENS
e
1952 - 1955
HUMANIST SANS SERIF
Optima HERMANN ZAPF D. Stemple AG Foundry
“ Typography is two-dimensional architecture, based on experience and imagination, and guided by rules and readability.” - Hermann Zapf
Optima Regular
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . . . ( “ & ! ? ” )
Optima Italic
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . . . ( “ & ! ? ” )
Optima Bold
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . . . ( “ & ! ? ” )
Optima ExtraBlack
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . . . ( “ & ! ? ” )
In 1950, Zapf was researching Italian typeface design at the Basilica di Santa Croce, in Florence, and happened upon an ancient Roman gravestone that would have been missed by most tourists and casual observers. The letters cut into the gravestone were unusual in that they lacked the traditional serifs. These delighted Zapf and appealed to his classic sense of design.
“Coming to terms with Herb Lubalin’s work takes you quickly to the heart of a very big subject: the theory of meaning and how meaning is communicated— how an idea is moved, full and resonant, from one mind to another. Not many have been able to do that better than Lubalin.”
Book
Demi The 1974 design for ITC Lubalin Graph is based on Herb Lubalin’s earlier design of ITC Avant Garde Gothic. The basic geometric character shapes are identical in both designs, while Lubalin Graph has the added feature of slab serifs.As the Avant garde gothic it also features an X-height that is extremely high compared to it’s descender & ascender. Lubalin Graph is a typical New- Egyptienne from the 1930´s. The optically equal weighted strokes, the cirkel round shapes, the rectangular serif on the lowercase t gives the type a distinct geometric form. The Lubalin Graph comes in many different weights, and there are drawn some special ligatures combining some of the uppercase letters. Characteristic lowercase letters are a,c,e,f,g,k,t,u.
Bold
AVE N I R Avenir Roman
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Avenir Black
Avenir Black Oblique Avenir Light Oblique Avenir Light
1234567890
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO PQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890
Strictly modern and at the same time human. Released in 1988 by Linotype GmbH, Adrian Frutiger’s Avenir is indeed a modernistic humanistic sans typeface that has stood the test of time. Especially amidst the development of typographic design in the 20th century where significant changes in reprographic technologies is evident. The arrival of computerized typography revolutionized type design which thereafter lead to the advancement of digital software to the provision of design, marketing and distribution of typographic products. The renouncements of the internet have also created a sea of change in the typographic
scene where digital and on screen information are in demand.
“ Looking back on more than 40 years of concern with sans serif typefaces, I felt an obligation to design a linear style of sans serif, in the tradition of Erbar, Futura, and to a lesser extent Gill Sansw. These have purely constructed characters from which the element of a handwriting movement has been removed. Obviously this could not be an outstanding new creation, but I have tried to make use of the experience and stylistic developments of the 20th century in order to work out an independent
Q alphabet meeting modern typographical needs. Even though Avenir can be classified as a constructivist typeface, it does not have a purely geometric and linear drawing. The vertical stroke lengths have been reduced in order to make text setting more legible, on the wellestablished grounds that the human eye takes in horizontals more easily than verticals and tends to grasp the meaning of a line in a horizontal sweep.”
Adrian Frutiger
1470 ROMAN TYPEFACE
JENSON Nicolas Jenson was born in France in 1420. At age 38, Jenson worked as an engraver at one of France’s mints. Charles VII sent Jenson to Mainz to study the art of movable-type printing, which as styled after the region’s Blackletter typeface. In 1468, Jenson moved to Venice, one of the most active trading centers in Europe, and started the city’s second printery. Following the lead of Johannes de Spira, a transplanted German also from Mainz who had secured a printing monopoly from the town elders. Jenson set out to create his own Venetian typeface based on local manuscript handwriting for his first book, Eusebius’s De Praeparatione Evangelica.
Rather than perfecting the beauty of individual letters, Jenson’s goal was to create an even typographic color in multiple lines of type. His interest was equally in the spaces within and surrounding the letters as it was in the letter shapes themselves. Jenson and de Spira mark the first “roman” typefaces as well as the beginning of the gradual 100-year shift away from Gothic to humanistic, roman, typeface use across Europe. Jenson’s typeface has been used continuously since its design in 1470. Over time many intepretations were created. Some of Jenson’s offspring include Golden, Kennerly, Cloister Old Style, centaur, and Berkeley Oldstyle.
nl ik fe A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890...({$&!?@/}) A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRSTUVWXYZ ab cd e f g h i j kl m nop q rstuv w x y z
A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
By 1500, printing and typecasting grew to 1,000 printers working in about 200 locations throughout Europe. Collectively, they produced nearly 35,000 works.
ďż˝ bask erv ille a specimen
B y J oh n B ask e rv il l e of B ir mingh a m
1757
22 point - bold
B
22 point - bold italic
askerville is the result of the designer's intent to improve upon the types of William Caslon. He increased the contrast between thick and thin strokes, making the serifs sharper and more tapered, and shifted the axis of rounded letters to a more vertical position. The curved strokes are more circular in shape and the characters became more regular.
B
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q
18 point - medium
18 point - medium
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aking these changes created a greater consistency in size and form. Baskerville's typeface was the culmination of a larger series of experiments to improve legibility which also included paper making and ink manufacturing. The result was a typeface that reflected Baskerville's ideals of perfection, where he chose simplicity and quiet refinement. His background as a writing master is evident in the distinctive swash tail on the uppercase Q and in the cursive serifs in the Baskerville Italic.
askerville est praecessi of excogitatoris, intentus ad emendare in genera William Caslon. Crassum tenue auxit ictus inter faciens et penetrabilior serius attenuatis, literas transtulit magis axe verticali rotundatis. Rotundum in circuitu in eo curvaturas et facta moresque regularis. Constantia maiore magnitudine et forma creata mutationum.
M
utatione mutabilia facientem creavit constantia maiore magnitudine et forma. Rotundum in circuitu in eo curvaturas et facta moresque regularis. Baskerville's typeface culmen fuit maioris series of paper factis experimentis adhibita etiam amplio legibility atramento manufacturing. Contingebat a typeface meditarii Baskerville s rationem strenue perfectione, ubi elegit simplicitate et quies fuit. Sicut scriptum constat apud dominum eius background insignita swash cauda in uppercase Q simulque in cursive serifs in Baskerville Italic.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
12 point - regular
12 point - regular
C
ambridge University Press appointed him its printer in 1758. It was there in 1763 that he published his master work, a folio Bible, which was printed using his own typeface, ink, and paper. It is difficult to appreciate the qualities of Baskerville without first understanding the process of its creation. Baskerville grew out of an ongoing experimentation with printing technology. John Baskerville developed his own method of working, resulting in beautifully bright woven paper and darker inks. As printers would not willingly reveal the methods within their print shops, Baskerville followed other printers closely and made the same purchases as them in hopes of setting up the same press. This routine resulted in the development of higher standards for presses altogether. In 1757, Baskerville published his first work, a collection of Virgil, which was followed by some fifty other classics. The perfection of his work seems to have unsettled his contemporaries, and some claimed the stark contrasts in his printing damaged the eyes. Abroad, however, he was much admired, notably by Pierre Simon Fournier, Giambattista Bodoni (who intended at one point to come to England to work under him), and Benjamin Franklin. A
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ambridge University Press erat suum constituit eum in printer ut thema suum dominum mdcclxii in operis a folio Bibliorum versio, quae typis impressa secundum ipsius atramentum et chartam. Difficile est modum intelligendi sine honore Baskerville qualitatibus creetur. Baskerville pendebant ab permanentis experimenta printing technology. John Baskerville modo operari exculto propria fit obscurior in charta pulcherrime textili inks lucidus. As printers noluit revelare modis intra print tabernas, Baskerville secuti aliis imprimendum occultata et singuli eadem emptionibus eis ego spe ad constitutionem eadem torcular. Translaticiarum consequta est in progressionem torcularia omnino pro altioribus signa. In mdcclvii, Baskerville primum edidit collectionem Virgilium sequi quam aliis quinquaginta classics. Incerti videtur opus aetatis suae perfectioni, summae se contraria his printing aff lixit et oculos. Foris autem mirabatur, insignissime Fournier Simon Petrus, Giambattista Antiqua (destinasset ad Angliam sub eo uno) et Benjamin Franklin.
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a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
NEWS GOTHIC In 1908, a cutting edge typeface was created by Morris Fuller Benton (November 30, 1872–June 30, 1948). Benton was one of the most prolific and influential type designers in history. This typeface was known as News Gothic and it was designed for the American Type Founders (a manufacturer of metal type from 1892–1940s). This typeface was derived from the Franklin Gothic family—another creation of Morris Benton’s. Both News Gothic and Franklin Gothic are of sans serif type classification. “Gothic” is an increasing archaic term meaning sansserif, and is spotted primarily in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Because of the font’s unique relationships in proportion and form,
for use in newspapers, magazines, headlines and advertisements. Bold weights were added in 1958. The caps in News Gothic have a similar visual width to each other, and the lowercase is compact and adept. Still a popular presence on the font charts, News Gothic has proven its ability to get the job done right.
The concept of a sans serif typeface has, however, been present in typography for many centuries. For example,
It is a sans serif inspired by the grotesque designs of the nineteenth century; early renderings of such type can be found in Greek inscriptions from the 5th century BC. The earliest recent use of a sans serif typeface was Thomas Dempster’s De Etruria regali libri VI, which was published in 1723.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnop qrstuvwxyz 1234567890 News Gothic MT. Italic. 24 pt.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO PQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqr stuvwxyz 1234567890
Designer:
Morris Fuller Benton Foundry:
American Type Founders Established:
1908
“Gothic” is an increasing archaic term meaning sans-serif, and is spotted primarily in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The News Gothic’ font family was created by Morris Fuller Benton and released by the American Type Founders (ATF) in 1908. It is a sans serif inspired by the grotesque designs of the nineteenth century; the two story lowercase “a” and similarly fashioned ”g” distinguish the type from other neo-grotesque faces. News Gothic. Medium. 12 pt.
Sans serif typefaces are typically regarded as modern, having largely taken over the role of body text in many publications and having certainly become widely used online. Sans serif typefaces render more clearly in smaller sizes onscreen and therefore make a better digital choice than a serif font of similar dimensions. News Gothic MT. Regular. 12 pt.
Sans serif typefaces are typically regarded as modern, having largely taken over the role of body text in many publications and having certainly become widely used online. Sans serif typefaces render more clearly in smaller sizes onscreen and therefore make a better digital choice than a serif font of similar dimensions.
News Gothic. Italic. 12 pt.
News Gothic MT. Regular. 24 pt.
Humanist Sans Serif
Later that century, a Latin sans serif type was used experimentally in an inscription of Nymph in the Grotto in Stourhead. Other names for sans serif have included Gothic, Doric, Antique, Egyptian and Swiss.
News Gothic has long been a popular typeface for almost any use. The News Gothic font family offers a simple design that is well suited
Category:
Characteristics
t g a !
News Gothic MT. Bold. 250 pt. The blunt apex of the
terminus of the lowercase
t also differentiates it from other sans serifs.
The two story g
differentiates it from
other neo-grotesque g’s.
News Gothic MT. Bold. 250 pt.
News Gothic. Medium. 24 pt.
News Gothic MT. Bold. 250 pt.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP QRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrs tuvwxyz 1234567890
The two story lowercase a
News Gothic. Bold. 24 pt.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnop qrstuvwxyz 1234567890
differentiates it from other neo-grotesque a’s.
News Gothic MT. Bold. 250 pt. A square box for the
exclamation mark point.
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BODONI [s\ Designed in 1798 by
GI A MBAT TISTA BODONI Modified in 1994 by J. Fishman, H. Goldsmith, J. Parkinson, & S. Stone
ITC Bodoni™ was designed by a team of four Americans, after studying Bodoni’s steel punches at the Museo Bodoniana in Parma, Italy. They also referred to specimens from the Manuale Tipografico, a monumental collection of Bodoni’s work published by his widow in 1818. The designers sought to do a revival that reflected the subtleties of Bodoni’s actual work. Sumner Stone created the ornaments based on those found in the Manuale Tipografico. These lovely dingbats can be used as Bodoni did, to separate sections of text or simply accent a page layout or graphic design.
BOOK
BOOK ITALIC
BOLD
ABCDEF G H I J K LM NOPQRST UVWXYZ 1234567 89&?!()
ABCDEF G H I J K LM N OP QR ST UVWX YZ 123456 7 89&?!()
ABCDEF GHIJKLM NOPQRST UVWXYZ 123456 7 89&?!()
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
HUMANIST SANS SERIF
Gill sans is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill. He was inspired by Johnston, the typeface that was used for the London Underground. The first application of Gill Sans was for the storefront of a bookshop. Later on, Gill was commissioned by the foundry Monotype to further develop a complete family. Gill Sans was released in 1928 to compete with other sans-serif like Erbar, Futura, and Kabel. Gill Sans has a less of a mechanical feel than geometric sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, because its proportions were based from Roman tradition for the uppercase, and Carolingian script and classic serif typefaces for the lowercase. A year after its release, with its immidiate success, the London and North Eastern Railway chose it for all its posters, timetables and publicity material. The use of Gill Sans later extended across all British railways. Then, it was used on the simple modernist covers of Penguin Books. The popularity of Gill Sans influenced many other typefaces, and helped to define the genre of the humanist sans-serif.
Light Regular Italic Bold
Gill Sans continues to thrive to this day, of ten used to bring an artistic sensibility to an organization's corporate style. Monotype themselves use Gill Sans in their brand, a nd w a s u se d by m a ny pu b lic se r v ice o r g a n i z a t i o n s . Some use of Gill Sans in public service organizations are Ra i l t r ack , w hich used Gill Sans for print material; the Church of England, which adopted Gill Sans as the main t y p e f ace for t he Co m m o n Wor s hi p f ami ly of se rv ice books published from 2000; and the British Government, which adopted Gill Sans as its standard typeface for use in communications and logos in 20 03. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) adopted the typeface as its cor p or at e t y p e f ace i n 19 97. M ar t i n L a m b ie - N air n , a d e s i g n e r, e x p l a i n e d t h e c h a n g e d by s ay i n g t h at “by choosing a typeface that has stood t he test of time, we avoid the t r ap of going down a modish route that might look outdated in several years’ time.”
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
BEMBO ABCDEFGHI ABCDEFGHI ABCDEFGHI ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR JKLMNOPQR JKLMNOPQR JKLMNOPQR STUVWXYZ STUVWXYZ STUVWXYZ STUVWXYZ
Bembo originated in Venice, an important
The type used for the text was a new
The typeface, which was modestly
In the early part of this century, the
typographic center in 15th and 16th century
design commissioned by Aldus and cut
launched in a 60-page favor to a friend
designers in the Monotype drawing
Europe. Many printers established businesses
by Francesco Griffo, a goldsmith-turned- and became eminently popular in Italy, office used antique books and
inVenice at this time, but none so significant as
punchcutter. Griffo’s design was lighter
soon found its way into France. Here
specimen material set with Aldus’
Aldus Manutius. Next to Gutenberg, Aldus
and more harmonious in weight than
the design came to the attention of
original fonts as the foundation
was perhaps the most influential printer of
earlier roman’s. Text set in the face was
Claude Garamond, the famous French
for their revival of the Bembo type.
the Renaissance and the first of many great
also more inviting and easier to read than
type founder, and through his efforts
The italic proved to be a significant
scholar-printers. Late in the 15th century,
previous designs. Three years later, the
to duplicate it the design eventually
challenge. Aldus’ Bembo
Aldus published a relatively insignificant
basic font was enhanced by the introduction
spread
essay by the Italian scholar Pietro Bembo.
of a suite of corresponding capital letters. Holland and the rest of Europe. design staff created a new italic
its
influence
to
didn’t
Germany, have italic designs, so the Monotype
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! ? # ÷ ‰ % $ † [ ] { } @ < ¢ “ ” ~ : ; ‹ Æ æ ð ï î í ì
ABCDEFGHIJ ABCDEFGHIJ K L M N O P Q R KLMNOPQR S T U V W X Y Z STUVWXYZ based on the works of Giovanni Tagliente, a 16th century
During the 1980s, Monotype produced a faithful
writing master. Nothing specific happened in the year 1495, digital rendition of their original metal revival. but 1929 marked the end of a period known in American
The staff designers also added Semi Bold and
history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash
Extra Bold weights to the family. As a result, this
of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. Stanley
important and communication tool is available as
Morison was an English typographer, designer, and historian
PostScript, TrueType and Open Type fonts. Today, a
of printing, born in 1889. In 1922 he was a founder-member
500-year legacy of great typeface design continues.
of the Fleuron Society dedicated to typographical matters. Bembo is a true classic–and a typographic gem.
1975
±
Adrian Frutiger Mergenthaler Linotype Company Humanist Sans-Serif
Regular
Condensed
A A A A A
« « « «
A A A A A
×
Frutiger
75 65 55 45
Black
Accès aux avions To Planes
76
Bold
Arrivées Terminal Arrivals
66
Roman
Départs Departures
56
Light
Aérogares Terminals
46
• ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
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95
Frutiger was originally commissioned by the Charles de Gaulle Airport of Paris in 1970 for a new signage program. Adrian Frutiger was expected to use his already popular Univers he designed an entirely new typeface.
Five or six big jet planes zoomed quickly by the tower. Frutiger is highly readable from both near and afar and is a friendly typeface suitable for high traffic areas such as airports or train stations. Frutiger complements the modern architecture of the airport.
Each letter form is designed to be easily and quickly recognizable, making it perfect for signage and display work of all sizes. Due to its friendly shape it has found a popularity as body copy and smaller scale print materials.
FIRMIN
Firmin Didot (1764-1836) was born in a Parisian dynasty that dominated French typefounding for two centuries. His family owned their own printing firm which was called the House of Didot. Firmin Didot created the first modern Roman typeface in 1784, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remembered today as the namesake of a series of Neoclassical typefaces that exquisitely captured the Modern style. The types that Didot used are characterized by extreme contrast in thick strokes and thin strokes, by the use of hairline serifs and by the vertical stress of the spaced letters.
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789.,!?& AKZIDENZ GROTESK REGULAR
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789.,!?& AKZIDENZ GROTESK BOLD
GROTESQUE
1898
AKZIDENZ GROTESK ITALIC
SOLID
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789.,!?&
MODERN
AKZIDENZ GROTESK LIGHT
CLEAN
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789.,!?&
SANS SERIF
Akzidenz Grotesk
AKZIDENZ-GROTESK is the first sans serif typeface to be widely used. Its direct precursor is Royal Grotesk, created by German typographer Ferdinand Theinhardt. In 1896 the H. Berthold AG type foundry released the first version under the name Accidenz-Grotesk.
HERMANN BERTHOLD (1801-1904) established an electrotype firm in Berlin in 1858, and developed the late19th-century German system for measuring type. The H. Berthold AG grew into the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest type foundry, pioneering in the 1950s diatype and diatonic photocomposition.
a ij o R E Q
Terminal cut short
Dotted with a square
Vertical Stress
Does not have tail
Central arm does not line up
Tail does not cross
U
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
{ } “I believe that Univers -without exaggeratingis a classic typeface. But a classic typeface of the 1950s, as Futura is a classic typeface of the 1930s. There have always been classics that correspond to the spirit of the age. And therefore I stand completely behind Univers, but I also stand completely behind Helvetica. Univers was already a bit more nuanced, maybe a little closer to humanist typefaces, and naturally had the advantage that all of the heights were in agreement. But we have to be clear that every epoch creates its classics.”
-Adrian Frutiger
a b c
d e
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
f
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
g
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
h
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
i
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
j
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
k
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
l
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m
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n o p
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UNIVERS was designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1956 and released by Deberny & Peignot in 1957. The typeface is based on Akzidenz-Grotesk, which was created in 1898, and is considered a neo-grotesque, sans serif font. It features optically even stroke weights and a large x-height for improved legibility. It was one of the first comprehensive typefaces where its whole family consisted of a similar design. The typeface was designed for use in photocomposition machines using Lumitype-Photon discs. Originally Deberny & Peignot wanted
to add several sans serif antiqua fonts in varying weights to the already existing Lumitype-fonts. Frutiger suggested that they develop a different typeface that would be more suitable to their needs, and agreeing to it, he created the typeface Univers with 21 different weights, widths, and positions. In 1997, in cooperation with Linotype, the
ADRIAN FRUTIGER
new owners of the once Deberny & Peignot type foundry, Frutiger redesigned Univers. Focusing in on the extreme weights he was able to add more varying widths and weights to the typeface giving the family a total of 59 different weights, widths and positions.
UNIVERS
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