Helvetica
by Max Miedinger · design · 1957
unverified
helvetica, originally called neue haas grotesk, is a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by swiss typeface designer max miedinger and eduard hoffmann at the haas type foundry of münchenstein, switzerland. the primary influence on helvetica was akzidenz-grotesk from berthold; hoffman's scrapbook of proofs of the design shows careful comparison of test proofs with snippets of akzidenz-grotesk. notable features include a high x-height, the termination of strokes on horizontal or vertical lines and an unusually tight spacing between letters, which combine to give it a dense, solid appearance.
what shaped this
the makers, scenes, and predecessors this work came out of, grouped by how the influence reached it
lineage
- Akzidenz-Grotesk · Berthold Type Foundry
visual reference
miedinger drew helvetica by direct comparison with akzidenz-grotesk. hoffmann's scrapbook shows test proofs of the new design laid alongside snippets of akzidenz-grotesk for careful comparison during the development process in 1956-1957.
“The primary influence on Helvetica was Akzidenz-Grotesk from Berthold; Hoffman's scrapbook of proofs of the design shows careful comparison of test proofs with snippets of Akzidenz-Grotesk.”
source ↗ - Schelter-Grotesk · Schelter & Giesecke
visual reference
helvetica's curved tail on the capital r was drawn from schelter-grotesk, a turn-of-the-century sans serif that haas already sold. miedinger followed some of schelter & giesecke's forms when he designed the typeface.
“Its 'R' with a curved tail resembles Schelter-Grotesk, another turn-of-the-century sans-serif sold by Haas.”
source ↗