User:Kmenzel/Helvetica
Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface created in 1957 by Eduard Hoffman and Max Miedinger. The name of the typeface is latin for “Swiss”, and reflects the neutral nature of the font. The typeface is one of the most widely used of all time, and has generated significant commentary, including two books and a documentary.
History
In 1957, Eduard Hoffman and Max Miedinger designed a sans-serif typeface for the Haas Typefoundry. This face was originally distributed as Neue Haas Grotesk. It was taken over by Linotype and D. Stempel AG in 1960, and produced for the Linotype Machine, while Haas continued to produce versions for hand composition. Linotype and Stempel wished to rename the typeface “Helvetia” (latin for Switzerland); however Eduard Hoffman wished to avoid naming the typeface after a country, so instead the typeface was named “Helvetica” (latin for Swiss).
Additional weights were added to the family through the 60s, 70s, and 80s, including rounded variations. Linotype updated the face in 1983, under the name Neue Helvetica – with several changes to make the family more consistent. Helvetica World (originally Helvetica Linotype) was released in 2004 – a family of four fonts with additional characters provided for Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, and Arabic alphabets.[1]
Helvetica vs. Arial
The Arial typeface was created in 1982 by the Monotype foundry. The face is metrically compatible with Helvetica (the glyphs have the same width), and Helvetica and Arial are often confused because of a large amount of similarity, including a matched x-height. This similarity has lead to some criticisms that Arial is a “rip-off” of Helvetica.[2]
The easiest way to distinguish Arial and Helvetica is to look at several specific glyphs. The “a”, “t”, “C”, “G” and “R” glyphs represent features which distinguish the two faces. One of the most prominent features is that Helvetica terminates most strokes with a horizontal or vertical terminator, whereas Arial has angled terminators at the top of the “t”, the ends of the strokes of the “C”, and the end of the stroke on the “G”. The “R” glyph has a distinguishable tail, and the “G” in Helvetica has a spur whereas the “G” in Arial does not. Lighter weightings of Helvetica display a tail on the “a” glyph, which is not present on the “a” glyph of Arial – however this tail is not present in bolder weightings of Helvetica.[3]
Usage
Helvetica is used widely, for logos, government documents, even transit signage. One can spot the use of Helvetica in logos such as American Airlines, FedEx, Nestlé, Evian, and BMW. Cite error: The <ref> tag name cannot be a simple integer (see the help page). The Government of Canada requires the usage of 3 specific weightings of Helvetica as part of the Federal Identity Program.[4] The popularity in usage can be attributed to the neutrality that is presented in the clean lines of the typeface. There was a backlash against Helvetica in the 1990s, as designers sought to add distinctive style to their work, however Helvetica remains in popular usage to this day.Cite error: The <ref> tag name cannot be a simple integer (see the help page).
Criticism
Helvetica has been criticized by accessibility experts as being difficult to read. This is because many of the glyphs within Helvetica are very similar, due to the constancy of the weighting. This has led some to question the usage in signage, especially in public facilities such as transit signage.[5]
See Also
http://www.linotype.com/526/helvetica-family.html
References
- ^ "Helvetica". Typophile. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "Arial vs. Helvetica". Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "How to Spot Arial". Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ http://publiservice.tbs-sct.gc.ca/fip-pcim/man_e.asp. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Joe Clark. "Inscribed in Living Tile: The Type of the Toronto Subway". Retrieved 4 December 2008.