Graphic designers primarily use graphics to send messages, however, sometimes they have to use words. When that issue arises, they need to choose the typeface that best suits the design they are currently working on. Perhaps they might choose Helvetica or Gotham, but not many people when these typefaces were developed and by whom. This post will try to shed some light on precisely this – famous fonts and their developers.
1. Helvetica
Let’s start with one of the most famous typefaces out there – Helvetica. Helvetica was designed in 1957 by a Swiss designer Max Miedinger. Even though Miedinger originally wanted to be a painter, he turned to design as his father wanted him to learn a craft. Some time later, this decision turned out to be fruitful as Helvetica is one of the most widely spread typefaces out there. It is simple and still looks modern even after more than half a century’s use. Helvetica is one of the most trustworthy typefaces out there, and definitely deserves a spot on our list.
2. Frutiger
This brainchild of another Swiss designer, Adrian Frutiger, was a designer in 1977 when he was commissioned to develop a typeface for a new Paris airport under construction at the time. Frutiger himself described his new typeface as “banal and beautiful.” Even though Frutiger did end up being used at the Paris airport, perhaps its most famous use today is on the Euro bills. The first Euro notes came into circulation in 2002, which is when the general public got exposed to Frutiger’s masterpiece. Once again, it is a simple, highly recognizable typeface that can universally be used by everyone.
3. Times New Roman
Another widely recognized typeface, Times New Roman, was developed in 1931 when the manager of London based “Times” magazine asked Stanley Morison, a typographer, to develop a typeface specifically for the “Times.” Morison created the typeface that ended up being used in many publishing materials and news prints. If you’ve ever written a paper to be published in academic journals, or even just a paper at college, you’ve probably written it using the Times New Roman.
4. Comic Sans
Ok, we did say at the beginning that we would deal with the most famous typefaces, but infamous counts as well, doesn’t it. Comic Sans was developed in 1994 by Vincent Connare when he was working for Microsoft. Connare wanted to create a typeface that would mimic the type you could see in comic book bubbles. His creation found its way “to grade-school fliers and holiday newsletters, Disney ads, and Beanie Baby tags,” as The Wall Street Journal reported back in 2009. In 2020, Comic Sans is an infamous typeface that nobody actually uses seriously, but is, nonetheless, a famous typeface that deserves a spot on our list.
5. Akzidenz-Grotesk
Akzidenz-Grotesk is one of the most famous early typefaces. It was first developed in 1898 by the Berthold Type Foundry, but it came into prominence in the 1950s and ‘60s when it was redesigned and facelifted by Günther Gerhard Lange. Akzidenz-Grotesk can often be seen as a typeface for ads and logos.
6. Baskerville
Let’s now travel a little bit in the ofter fascinating past. Baskerville is an old, “transitional” typeface that was designed back in 1757 by John Baskerville, a printer who developed the typeface so he could print classics for the Cambridge University Press. An interesting fact about the Baskerville font is that Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath, was so impressed with Baskerville’s typeface that he brought it to America where it ended up being used on many official documents at the time. Today you can see versions of the typeface in the logo of the Metropolitan Opera and the wordmark logo for Canada.
7. Gotham
Gotham is a relatively young typeface released in 2000. It was developed by an American designer Tobias Frere-Jones. Over the past years, since it first saw the light of day, the typeface has become largely popular among designers for its clean and modern looks. However, it was popularized mostly during the 2008 presidential campaign in the US, where it was used by the Obama campaign. Perhaps a part of former President Obama’s success can be attributed to the use of this amazing typeface.
8. Futura
Futura is a typeface that was designed during the 1920s when a German designer, Paul Renner, developed it as a reaction to the then-popular Erbar typeface. Some of its most prominent contemporary uses are in movie posters, business, and advertising. Not only this, but it’s been used by Volkswagen for a number of years now. Futura’s popularity mostly stems from the fact that it simple, geometric, and doesn’t have many distracting features.
9. Geneva
Geneva, developed by Susan Kare, ended up being used as one of the original typefaces for Apple Macintosh in the 1980s. While it’s essentially just a redesigned Helvetica, Geneva’s been described by Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes as having the “semi-enclosed counters of letters like ‘a,’ ‘c,’ ‘e,’ and ‘s’” that are “more open.”
10. Avenir
Last but not least on our list, there is Avenir, another typeface developed by Adrian Frutiger. Avenir was developed in 1988, and Frutiger considered it to be his best work. Avenir is a typeface originally used by the city of Amsterdam. Moreover, Apple uses the typeface in its Apple Maps app, and it’s also been used by Samsung Galaxy, Walt Disney Parks, the Eurovision Song Contest.
Conclusion
There are many different typefaces out there, with many more being developed each day. However, only some of them have stood the test of time and became as famous as they did. This list covers only 10 of the most famous typefaces, but there are so many more in the vast ocean of typefaces. If you’re a graphic designer searching for a perfect typeface to use in his or her latest design, keep in mind that there is a world out there. Take your time to find the perfect one. Once you do, both you and your client can be certain that your work is the best it can be.
The post Top 10 Most Famous Typefaces and Their Designers first appeared on CSForm.
The post Top 10 Most Famous Typefaces and Their Designers appeared first on CSForm.
