February 6, 2013 at 19:12Six great alternatives to Helvetica
Warning: nothing can be done, but the Cyrillic alphabet in all the headsets discussed in the article (except for Proxima Nova) is missing.
Inspired by two recent posts on the Helvetica font, I decided to translate another post from Designmodo , which talks about alternatives to this font. (I can’t check the “translation” box, so don’t order execution, I put it in the hub.)
You probably know that Helvetica is one of the most popular fonts used today. We live in the era of sans-serif fonts in flat design (lit. “flat design” - approx. Translator)and the grotesques, however, are reborn and seem to fit perfectly into modern design. At the same time, Helvetica has important flaws that any designer who seriously deals with typography should be aware of, and can even guarantee alternatives.
The problem is that we use and interpret Helvetica in many situations in which this font was not intended. The original font, Neue Haas Grotesk , was released in 1957 by Haas as a competitor to Akzidenz-Grotesk from Berthold. Since then, the font has made significant compromises in terms of design in order to keep up with changing technologies: careless expansion of the font family, adjustment of the font thickness for the linotype , where the name was changed to Helvetica for international use, the width of the symbol of the systems is the linotype photo-installation system, and automatic tilt in roman for PostScript with Macintosh.
Decades of adjustments on various platforms have changed Helvetica into what is not ... a real Helvetica. The version we use is square, it lacks the subtle curves that gave Helvetica its style. Helvetica Neue is even more different from the original when you see how it draws the width of many of its letters, rounding the letter spacing and increasing the crossbars to create a kind of artificial neutrality that seems forced and insincere.
According to designer Martin Perks, Helvetica is a very modern product . He (font)represented the power of the Swiss type and the new age of design, whose power is rooted in clarity and simplicity. Helvetica has changed significantly over the decades, losing its original sense of cold rationality, which the font was not originally intended for.
Therefore, I think now is the time to look at several alternative options. At the moment, the use of Helvetica seems to imply a lack of knowledge of an expansive type rather than a taste in nuances. There are very sufficient and skillfully created grotesque fonts, and they also deserve your attention, like the usual Helvetica.
Compare Neue Haas with Helvetica and you will see soft curves that give it a style, rounded and relaxed, to avoid the sense of squareness that is present in Helvetica Neue, as well as intra-letter gaps. While the width of the letters Helvetica still corresponds to the 18-block system, in Neue Haas Grotesk the width changes, which allows you to correctly optimize each letter. And while the Helvetica Oblique, which is used on poppies, made a mechanical skew of 12 degrees, Neue Haas has smoother, more natural bends to feel like real italics and not just awkwardly stretched.
If you are too attached to Helvetica to abandon it, this is undoubtedly the best alternative to it. Neue Haas Grotesk - a family of 44 fonts. You can get the whole family for 54 dollars (1600 rubles) on myfonts.com .
If there is something in common in all versions and corrections of Helvetica, it is their density. Helvetica letters are packed tightly, their lowercase is larger and attracts attention. But the power of Univers lies in the little things. Firstly, the semi-term in the letter “a” is more uniform and justified. Then, when you look at other letters with semi-ovals or even shoulders, there you can see much more difference in the stroke, which gives him a good little push from the neutral zone.
Letters in Universusually smaller in size, between them more space. At the same time, the connections are not broken in order to attract my attention, the letters simply exist comfortably in their own space. This is a more thoughtful font, and subtle changes in the stroke make it interesting and resonant. A good example of his strengths is the cover of the Swiss magazine Typographishe Monstblatter , which demonstrated the power of Swiss type fonts, 1962 and 1964, which can be found in the research archive of the University of Art and Design of Lausanne .
Proxima Nova, a rethinking of Proxima Sans (1994), is a great compromise between a sans serif humanistic font and a grotesque. Some curves are also rational, like a lowercase “e” or a capital “G” , while others are fun and bizarre, such as the lower trunk of the lowercase “t” or the upper trunk of the lowercase “f” . The dashed contrast is in the right place in the right letters, in particular, for example, in the bulge on "D" , "B" and "p" . And the upward half-voiced on lowercase "a" , which is completely unique.
These smart solutions give Proxima Nova a great personality. This stylish and interesting font has never lost its rationality, it will not look awkward at large intervals. With a large title, all the strengths of Proxima are manifested, but they are not distracting even with 12-18 pt ... Proxima also has alternative options: the “S” set consists of a capital, and “A” changes the structure of the curves of some letters, and also makes “a »More similar to the Futura font version.
Brandon-Grotesque is a sharp and stylish font that has a visual harmony between sharp peaks and rounded boles. This is generally a thin font, but its bold thickness of letters carries considerable strength and control. Brandon was supposedly inspired by sans-serif geometric fonts of the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, but it doesn’t feel like a staging of a theme park, it doesn’t shout “art deco”. Instead, Brandon is a careful rethinking; it selects from specific style issues and creates what makes it feel modern and distinguishable from time to time.
Brandon-Grotesque is not a family of many fonts (about 12), but it is somehow even better. There are very smart harmonies between different thicknesses and styles. Brandon-Grotesque has also been awardedThe Type Director's Club Award last year is probably a good reason to try it.
Akzidenz-Grotesque is probably the best choice for those who want to remain faithful to the neo-grotesque style of the beginning of the XX century, which is possible because it was developed even before that. This is one of the earliest grotesque headsets, released in 1896, 50 years before the development of Helvetica. But even if they may seem similar at first glance, there are significant differences between the feelings that they bring.
Akzidenzsmaller, rounder and not so dense. The result is a less ambitious and more affordable font, perhaps even friendly in the right color choice. It also allows Akzidenz-Grotesque to be more neutral neutral than modern Helvetica fonts. This does not mean that it is boring, it just allows you to bring soft, rational curves into a neo-grotesque style.
Finally, English Grotesque is a unique and incredibly interesting grotesque font. At first glance it seems that it is almost stretched horizontally, but English Grotesque is naturally short and wide. He does not look awkward, while maintaining tight control over his style. English is quite bold even in subtle styles. It has smooth curves, in particular, stylish lower extension elements and mushrooms, oval “C” and “G” . The bevels on the “t” and “s” give the English Grotesque sharp edges, and their “G” without a pen has become a kind of signature of this font. English Grotesque is incredibly resonant and different from the more traditional neo-grotesque fonts.
Just in case, I again give a link to the original: see here .
Inspired by two recent posts on the Helvetica font, I decided to translate another post from Designmodo , which talks about alternatives to this font. (I can’t check the “translation” box, so don’t order execution, I put it in the hub.)
You probably know that Helvetica is one of the most popular fonts used today. We live in the era of sans-serif fonts in flat design (lit. “flat design” - approx. Translator)and the grotesques, however, are reborn and seem to fit perfectly into modern design. At the same time, Helvetica has important flaws that any designer who seriously deals with typography should be aware of, and can even guarantee alternatives.
What is bad in Helvetica?
The problem is that we use and interpret Helvetica in many situations in which this font was not intended. The original font, Neue Haas Grotesk , was released in 1957 by Haas as a competitor to Akzidenz-Grotesk from Berthold. Since then, the font has made significant compromises in terms of design in order to keep up with changing technologies: careless expansion of the font family, adjustment of the font thickness for the linotype , where the name was changed to Helvetica for international use, the width of the symbol of the systems is the linotype photo-installation system, and automatic tilt in roman for PostScript with Macintosh.
Decades of adjustments on various platforms have changed Helvetica into what is not ... a real Helvetica. The version we use is square, it lacks the subtle curves that gave Helvetica its style. Helvetica Neue is even more different from the original when you see how it draws the width of many of its letters, rounding the letter spacing and increasing the crossbars to create a kind of artificial neutrality that seems forced and insincere.
According to designer Martin Perks, Helvetica is a very modern product . He (font)represented the power of the Swiss type and the new age of design, whose power is rooted in clarity and simplicity. Helvetica has changed significantly over the decades, losing its original sense of cold rationality, which the font was not originally intended for.
Therefore, I think now is the time to look at several alternative options. At the moment, the use of Helvetica seems to imply a lack of knowledge of an expansive type rather than a taste in nuances. There are very sufficient and skillfully created grotesque fonts, and they also deserve your attention, like the usual Helvetica.
Neue Haas Grotesk
(Cyrillic missing)I came to the conclusion that Helvetica was not supposed to be cold, perfect, rational, as it is now depicted. There is subtle warmth in forms that have been lost over the years byIn 2004, designer Christian Schwartz was commissioned to bring the original Neue Haas Grotesk into digital format. Completed in 2010, the headset was perfect in a new digital design.
Christian Schwartz.
Compare Neue Haas with Helvetica and you will see soft curves that give it a style, rounded and relaxed, to avoid the sense of squareness that is present in Helvetica Neue, as well as intra-letter gaps. While the width of the letters Helvetica still corresponds to the 18-block system, in Neue Haas Grotesk the width changes, which allows you to correctly optimize each letter. And while the Helvetica Oblique, which is used on poppies, made a mechanical skew of 12 degrees, Neue Haas has smoother, more natural bends to feel like real italics and not just awkwardly stretched.
If you are too attached to Helvetica to abandon it, this is undoubtedly the best alternative to it. Neue Haas Grotesk - a family of 44 fonts. You can get the whole family for 54 dollars (1600 rubles) on myfonts.com .
Univers
(Cyrillic is absent)If there is something in common in all versions and corrections of Helvetica, it is their density. Helvetica letters are packed tightly, their lowercase is larger and attracts attention. But the power of Univers lies in the little things. Firstly, the semi-term in the letter “a” is more uniform and justified. Then, when you look at other letters with semi-ovals or even shoulders, there you can see much more difference in the stroke, which gives him a good little push from the neutral zone.
Letters in Universusually smaller in size, between them more space. At the same time, the connections are not broken in order to attract my attention, the letters simply exist comfortably in their own space. This is a more thoughtful font, and subtle changes in the stroke make it interesting and resonant. A good example of his strengths is the cover of the Swiss magazine Typographishe Monstblatter , which demonstrated the power of Swiss type fonts, 1962 and 1964, which can be found in the research archive of the University of Art and Design of Lausanne .
Proxima nova
(Partial Cyrillic support)Proxima Nova, a rethinking of Proxima Sans (1994), is a great compromise between a sans serif humanistic font and a grotesque. Some curves are also rational, like a lowercase “e” or a capital “G” , while others are fun and bizarre, such as the lower trunk of the lowercase “t” or the upper trunk of the lowercase “f” . The dashed contrast is in the right place in the right letters, in particular, for example, in the bulge on "D" , "B" and "p" . And the upward half-voiced on lowercase "a" , which is completely unique.
These smart solutions give Proxima Nova a great personality. This stylish and interesting font has never lost its rationality, it will not look awkward at large intervals. With a large title, all the strengths of Proxima are manifested, but they are not distracting even with 12-18 pt ... Proxima also has alternative options: the “S” set consists of a capital, and “A” changes the structure of the curves of some letters, and also makes “a »More similar to the Futura font version.
Brandon grotesque
(Cyrillic missing)Brandon-Grotesque is a sharp and stylish font that has a visual harmony between sharp peaks and rounded boles. This is generally a thin font, but its bold thickness of letters carries considerable strength and control. Brandon was supposedly inspired by sans-serif geometric fonts of the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, but it doesn’t feel like a staging of a theme park, it doesn’t shout “art deco”. Instead, Brandon is a careful rethinking; it selects from specific style issues and creates what makes it feel modern and distinguishable from time to time.
Brandon-Grotesque is not a family of many fonts (about 12), but it is somehow even better. There are very smart harmonies between different thicknesses and styles. Brandon-Grotesque has also been awardedThe Type Director's Club Award last year is probably a good reason to try it.
Akzidenz-Grotesque
(Cyrillic missing)Akzidenz-Grotesque is probably the best choice for those who want to remain faithful to the neo-grotesque style of the beginning of the XX century, which is possible because it was developed even before that. This is one of the earliest grotesque headsets, released in 1896, 50 years before the development of Helvetica. But even if they may seem similar at first glance, there are significant differences between the feelings that they bring.
Akzidenzsmaller, rounder and not so dense. The result is a less ambitious and more affordable font, perhaps even friendly in the right color choice. It also allows Akzidenz-Grotesque to be more neutral neutral than modern Helvetica fonts. This does not mean that it is boring, it just allows you to bring soft, rational curves into a neo-grotesque style.
English grotesque
(Cyrillic missing)Finally, English Grotesque is a unique and incredibly interesting grotesque font. At first glance it seems that it is almost stretched horizontally, but English Grotesque is naturally short and wide. He does not look awkward, while maintaining tight control over his style. English is quite bold even in subtle styles. It has smooth curves, in particular, stylish lower extension elements and mushrooms, oval “C” and “G” . The bevels on the “t” and “s” give the English Grotesque sharp edges, and their “G” without a pen has become a kind of signature of this font. English Grotesque is incredibly resonant and different from the more traditional neo-grotesque fonts.
Just in case, I again give a link to the original: see here .