Helvetica: history, who uses it, and a free alternative
The Swiss sans that ended up on subway signs and airline logos.
Helvetica
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
- 48Quartz
- 32Judge my vow
- 24Sphinx of black quartz
- 18Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
- 14Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Preview uses Inter, the closest free match.
In use, with Source Serif 4
Edit the words to try your own. The pairing tool has more body fonts.
Some roads only go one way.
The Long Way Home
Two brothers, one borrowed car and a thousand miles of coast between them and the funeral. In cinemas this spring.
History
- Max Miedinger designed it with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland, and it was released in 1957.[1]
- It was first called Neue Haas Grotesk.[1]
- Neue Helvetica followed in 1983, and Monotype released Helvetica Now in 2019.[1]
Who uses it
- Lufthansa's corporate identity from 1962[1]
- The American Airlines logotype set by Massimo Vignelli in 1967, used until 2013[1]
- New York City Subway signage, the standard typeface from 1989[1]
- Apple's iOS system font from 2007[1]
Sources
The free alternative
Inter has the same plain, closed neo-grotesque shapes, with a taller x-height drawn for screens.
Body fonts that go with Inter:
- Source Serif 4A serif body against a grotesque heading gives clear contrast in structure.
- InterOne family throughout, with weight and size doing the work.
- MerriweatherSturdy, large x-height serif that stays readable at small sizes.
- IBM Plex MonoMonospaced text for a technical, spec-sheet feel.
Other fonts
- TrajanRoman inscription capitals, and the movie poster font.
- ArialDrawn to the same widths as Helvetica, shipped with Windows.
- FuturaThe 1927 geometric sans of circles and straight lines.
- GothamWide geometric capitals taken from New York building signs.
- ImpactA 1965 Sheffield display face that became the meme font.
- GaramondSixteenth century Paris type, revived many times since.
- Times New RomanMade for a London newspaper in 1932, then shipped with Windows.
- DidotHigh contrast French type, and the look of fashion magazines.
- BaskervilleA Birmingham printer’s sharper, lighter serif from the 1750s.
- Comic SansDrawn in 1994 for the speech bubbles in Microsoft Bob.
- CourierAn IBM typewriter face that screenplays never gave up.
- RobotoGoogle's Android system font since 2011.