Six great alternatives to Helvetica
Warning: nothing can be done, but the Cyrillic alphabet in all headsets considered in the article (except for Proxima Nova) is missing.
Inspired by two recent posts about the Helvetica font, I decided to translate another post from Designmodo , which tells about alternatives to this font. (I cannot tick the “translation” box, so don't order the execution, 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 typefaces in flat design . The grotesques, nevertheless, are reviving and seem to fit perfectly into modern design. At the same time, Helvetica has important flaws, which any designer who is seriously engaged in typography should be aware of, and even can 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 made significant trade-offs in terms of design to keep pace with changing technologies: negligent expansion of the font family, adjusting the font thickness for the linotype , where the name was changed to Helvetica for international use, the width of the system symbol, the linotype photo-installation system, and auto tilt in roman for PostScript with Macintosh.
Decades of adjustments on various platforms have changed Helvetica into something that is not ... real Helvetica. The version we use is square, it lacks the subtle curves that gave Helvetica her 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 inside-letter clearance and increasing the crossbar to create a kind of artificial neutrality that seems forced and insincere.
')
As described by Helvetica designer Martin Perks, she is a very modernist 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, to which the font was not originally intended.
Therefore, I think now is the time to see several alternatives. At the moment, the use of Helvetica seems to imply a lack of knowledge of an expansive type than taste in nuances. There are very ample and skillfully crafted grotesque fonts, and they also deserve your attention, like the familiar Helvetica.
Compare Neue Haas with Helvetica and you will see soft curves that give it a style, rounded and relaxed, to avoid the feeling 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 for the correct optimization of each letter. And while in Helvetica Oblique, used on “poppies”, a mechanical bias of 12 degrees was made, Neue Haas has smoother, natural curves to feel like a real italic, and not something that just awkwardly stretches.
If you are too attached to Helvetica to abandon it, this is undoubtedly the best alternative to it. Neue Haas Grotesk is a family of 44 fonts. You can get the whole family for $ 54 (1600 rubles) on myfonts.com .
If there is something in common in all versions and adjustments of Helvetica, it is their density. The letters Helvetica are packed tightly, their height of the lower case character is more and attracts attention. But the power of Univers is in the details. First, the semi-oval in the letter “a” is more uniform and reasonable. Then, when you look at the other letters with half-corners or even on the shoulders, there you will be able to see much more difference in the stroke, which gives it a nice little push from the neutral zone.
The letters in Univers are usually smaller, with more space between them. At the same time, the connections are not disturbed 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 are the covers of the Swiss magazine Typographishe Monstblatter , which demonstrated the power of Swiss-type fonts from 1962 and 1964, which can be found in the research archive of the University of Art and Design of Lausanne .
Proxima Nova, rethinking Proxima Sans (1994), is an excellent compromise between humanist sans serif font and grotesque. Some curves are also rational, like the lowercase “e” or uppercase “G” , while others are hilarious and fancy, such as the lower trunk of the lowercase “t” or the upper trunk of the lowercase “f” . Stroke contrast is in the right place in the right letters, in particular, for example, in a thickening on “D” , “B” and “p” . And pointing up pen on the lowercase "a" , which is completely unique.
Such intelligent solutions give Proxima Nova a great personality. This stylish and interesting font has never lost its rationality, it will not look awkward in large intervals. With a large header, all the strengths of Proxima appear, but they do not distract even at 12-18 pt ... Proxima also has alternative options: the “S” set consists of small capitals, and “A” changes the structure of the curves of some letters, and also makes “a "More like the version of the Futura font.
Brandon-Grotesque is a sharp and stylish font that has visual harmony between sharp peaks and rounded stamps. This is generally a thin font, but its bold letter thickness carries considerable power and control. Brandon was supposedly inspired by sans-serif geometric fonts from the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, but it doesn't feel like a theme park staging, she doesn't scream “Art Deco”. Instead, Brandon is a careful rethinking, he chooses from specific issues of style and creates something that makes him feel modern and distinct from time.
Brandon-Grotesque is not a font family (about 12), but it’s somehow even better. There is very clever consistency between different thicknesses and styles. Brandon-Grotesque also won the Type Director's Club Award last year, perhaps a good reason to try it.
Akzidenz-Grotesque is perhaps the best choice for those who want to remain true to the neo-grotesque style of the early 20th century, which is possible because it was designed even before. 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 they bring.
Akzidenz is smaller, rounder and not so dense. The result is a less ambitious and more accessible font, perhaps even friendly in the choice of colors. It also allows Akzidenz-Grotesque to be more effective in terms of neutrality than modern Helvetica fonts. This does not mean that it is boring, it just allows you to bring soft, rational curves into the 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 thin styles. It has smooth curves, in particular, stylish lower external elements and shafts, oval “C” and “G” . Bevels on “t” and “s” give English Grotesque sharp edges, and their “G” without a handle became a signature of this font. English Grotesque is incredibly resonant and different from the more traditional neo-grotesque fonts.
Just in case I give the link to the original again: see here .
Inspired by two recent posts about the Helvetica font, I decided to translate another post from Designmodo , which tells about alternatives to this font. (I cannot tick the “translation” box, so don't order the execution, 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 typefaces in flat design . The grotesques, nevertheless, are reviving and seem to fit perfectly into modern design. At the same time, Helvetica has important flaws, which any designer who is seriously engaged in typography should be aware of, and even can 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 made significant trade-offs in terms of design to keep pace with changing technologies: negligent expansion of the font family, adjusting the font thickness for the linotype , where the name was changed to Helvetica for international use, the width of the system symbol, the linotype photo-installation system, and auto tilt in roman for PostScript with Macintosh.
Decades of adjustments on various platforms have changed Helvetica into something that is not ... real Helvetica. The version we use is square, it lacks the subtle curves that gave Helvetica her 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 inside-letter clearance and increasing the crossbar to create a kind of artificial neutrality that seems forced and insincere.
')
As described by Helvetica designer Martin Perks, she is a very modernist 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, to which the font was not originally intended.
Therefore, I think now is the time to see several alternatives. At the moment, the use of Helvetica seems to imply a lack of knowledge of an expansive type than taste in nuances. There are very ample and skillfully crafted grotesque fonts, and they also deserve your attention, like the familiar Helvetica.
Neue haas grotesk
(Cyrillic is missing)I came to the conclusion that Helvetica was not supposed to be cold, perfect, rational, as it is now portrayed. There is subtle heat in forms that have been lost over the years.In 2004, designer Christian Schwartz was tasked with bringing the original Neue Haas Grotesk into digital format. Completed in 2010, the headset was perfect in the new digital version.
Christian schwartz
Compare Neue Haas with Helvetica and you will see soft curves that give it a style, rounded and relaxed, to avoid the feeling 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 for the correct optimization of each letter. And while in Helvetica Oblique, used on “poppies”, a mechanical bias of 12 degrees was made, Neue Haas has smoother, natural curves to feel like a real italic, and not something that just awkwardly stretches.
If you are too attached to Helvetica to abandon it, this is undoubtedly the best alternative to it. Neue Haas Grotesk is a family of 44 fonts. You can get the whole family for $ 54 (1600 rubles) on myfonts.com .
Univers
(Cyrillic is missing)If there is something in common in all versions and adjustments of Helvetica, it is their density. The letters Helvetica are packed tightly, their height of the lower case character is more and attracts attention. But the power of Univers is in the details. First, the semi-oval in the letter “a” is more uniform and reasonable. Then, when you look at the other letters with half-corners or even on the shoulders, there you will be able to see much more difference in the stroke, which gives it a nice little push from the neutral zone.
The letters in Univers are usually smaller, with more space between them. At the same time, the connections are not disturbed 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 are the covers of the Swiss magazine Typographishe Monstblatter , which demonstrated the power of Swiss-type fonts from 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, rethinking Proxima Sans (1994), is an excellent compromise between humanist sans serif font and grotesque. Some curves are also rational, like the lowercase “e” or uppercase “G” , while others are hilarious and fancy, such as the lower trunk of the lowercase “t” or the upper trunk of the lowercase “f” . Stroke contrast is in the right place in the right letters, in particular, for example, in a thickening on “D” , “B” and “p” . And pointing up pen on the lowercase "a" , which is completely unique.
Such intelligent solutions give Proxima Nova a great personality. This stylish and interesting font has never lost its rationality, it will not look awkward in large intervals. With a large header, all the strengths of Proxima appear, but they do not distract even at 12-18 pt ... Proxima also has alternative options: the “S” set consists of small capitals, and “A” changes the structure of the curves of some letters, and also makes “a "More like the version of the Futura font.
Brandon-grotesque
(Cyrillic is missing)Brandon-Grotesque is a sharp and stylish font that has visual harmony between sharp peaks and rounded stamps. This is generally a thin font, but its bold letter thickness carries considerable power and control. Brandon was supposedly inspired by sans-serif geometric fonts from the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, but it doesn't feel like a theme park staging, she doesn't scream “Art Deco”. Instead, Brandon is a careful rethinking, he chooses from specific issues of style and creates something that makes him feel modern and distinct from time.
Brandon-Grotesque is not a font family (about 12), but it’s somehow even better. There is very clever consistency between different thicknesses and styles. Brandon-Grotesque also won the Type Director's Club Award last year, perhaps a good reason to try it.
Akzidenz-Grotesque
(Cyrillic is missing)Akzidenz-Grotesque is perhaps the best choice for those who want to remain true to the neo-grotesque style of the early 20th century, which is possible because it was designed even before. 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 they bring.
Akzidenz is smaller, rounder and not so dense. The result is a less ambitious and more accessible font, perhaps even friendly in the choice of colors. It also allows Akzidenz-Grotesque to be more effective in terms of neutrality than modern Helvetica fonts. This does not mean that it is boring, it just allows you to bring soft, rational curves into the neo-grotesque style.
English grotesque
(Cyrillic is 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 thin styles. It has smooth curves, in particular, stylish lower external elements and shafts, oval “C” and “G” . Bevels on “t” and “s” give English Grotesque sharp edges, and their “G” without a handle became a signature of this font. English Grotesque is incredibly resonant and different from the more traditional neo-grotesque fonts.
Just in case I give the link to the original again: see here .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/168543/
All Articles