11 ms·

Monotype launches the first redesign of Helvetica in 35 years

278 points by oedmarap 8y ago

Alex3917 8y ago
Interesting. The new design makes it seem like they're trying to get away from the political stigma of Helvetica, while also kind of poking fun at it. Whereas the idea of Helvetica was to evoke things like openness, transparency, neutrality, naturalness, etc., the new typeface strikes me as being much more opinionated, but in a purposely understated sort of way. In a lot of ways it really looks like someone took the core ideologies of modern third-places and distilled them into a visual type system, which maybe says something about the privatization of formerly public spaces and infrastructure over the past 50+ years.
- mc32 8y ago
  But it also adds flexibility with the alternate glyphs, so in a way, less opinionated.
- yodon 8y ago
  I love that I have no idea whether that second paragraph is a real analysis or one making fun of font nerds.
  - Alex3917 8y ago
    I mean if you watch the documentary Helvetica they do a pretty good job of explaining both the political statement the typeface was trying to make, the backlash against it as it was adopted/hijacked by corporations, and then the post-backlash period where we are now. If you look at the new typeface it's clearly designed primarily for the needs of consumer products and advertising. They could have instead created a typeface that was purposely designed to look bad on consumer products and in advertising, but that's not the direction they went in. That's not an accident, it was a deliberate design decision. Whereas the goal of the original typeface was to create a better society, the goal of the new one is basically to make it onto a Starbucks cup. It's not even a subtle difference, even though it's supposedly just an updated typeface the two are really night and day.
    - yodon 8y ago
      Yes, Helvetica is truly a joy to watch - I mean that genuinely - and thank you for the explanation of your analysis
    - exolymph 8y ago
      > the political statement the typeface was trying to make Hmm, I think that a typeface is possibly the least effective way to make a political statement. Approximately zero people looking at it will impute a political message.
      - byproxy 8y ago
        That's a good approximate, but I feel these kinds of "statements" are for a select few, and they'll have fun arguing the message's merits or lack-thereof. The rest of the world will continue on with these decisions of taste-makers serving as little more than a slight hum to the harmony of their lives.
      - Cthulhu_ 8y ago
        I do think there are some fonts that develop into having certain associations and meanings; I can't see how a font can be designed to have that association beforehand, but then, I'm not a designer or psychologist. But there's a definite cultural meaning to certain fonts; what springs to mind is Impact (memes), comic sans (trolling / badly designed websites / your aunt's emails), and "gothic" fonts (nazis) (https://www.dafont.com/mtheme.php?id=4 https://www.dafont.com/mtheme.php?id=4). I can imagine that font designers can take these fonts and their cultural associations and craft something new that evokes these.
        atoav 8y ago
        Interestingly enough the Nazis actually tried to get rid of that old German typeface and were all for sans fonts. But these old German typeface was still so dominant during their regime, that in hindsight people (including neo Nazis) started connecting it with Nazis.
      - qubex 8y ago
oofabz 8y ago
absolutely grotesque
- dang 8y ago
  Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here. What would make a comment like this interesting is specific information about what is bad in the diff and why. (That, plus maybe a bit less name-calling.) https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Edit: no, you guys are right, I totally didn't get the joke.
  - derefr 8y ago
    I think you got swooshed, a bit. The GP was almost certainly making a pun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif#Grotesque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif#Grotesque
    - pySSK 8y ago
      I thought so too but dang's post history shows knowledge of type. Maybe dang is saying that calling this a grotesque font is name calling and poster should post more on why it is one.
      - jdub 8y ago
        It's not name calling. It's a typeface nerd joke.
      - zorpner 8y ago
        He specifically says "what is bad" -- he simply didn't get the joke. No need to prance to defense of the mods when they miss something.
        quickthrower2 8y ago
        Ok what do I need to know to get this joke?
pySSK 8y ago
The name Helvetica Now seems like an April Fools' joke. The name will not age well, plus there is potential for confusion with Helvetica Neue.
- silvester23 8y ago
  Not disagreeing, but to be fair, Helvetica Neue (neue meaning new in German), did not age well either. I would assume the creators are aware of that, maybe even choosing that name to be in the tradition of Neue.
neilpanchal 8y ago
Helvetica’s relatively less popular but ubiquitous cousin, Univers also got a facelift in 2010 after 30 years before Adrian Frutiger passed away under the name “Univers Next” [1], the most prominent aspect of the redesign being the return of 16 degree italics blessed by Frutiger himself. In my view, Univers evokes a deep feeling of sophistication unlike any other font. Helvetica has the “grunge” and New York aesthetic after it took over the graphic design scene in the 70’s and 80’s whereas Univers was silently used in engineering manuals, control panels, branding, keyboards(Apple), movie credits [2] and UI without much fuss. It never became cool and edgy as Helvetica, never tried to be something it is not and doesn't have a following. I was lucky enough to visit the archives [3] in a obscure drawer at the Museum fur Gestaltung in Zurich, seeing the original manuscripts of Univers was an extraordinary feeling. Created in 1950, it is truly timeless and sits along with other giants of contemporary typefaces such as Futura and Eurostile, perhaps in the back row towards the corner. Univers was, is and always will be. It’s my favorite font. [1] https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/univers-next/ https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/univers-next/ [2] https://www.dafont.com/forum/read/5633/what-s-the-font-for-movie-credits https://www.dafont.com/forum/read/5633/what-s-the-font-for-m... [3] https://www.eguide.ch/en/designer/adrian-frutiger/ https://www.eguide.ch/en/designer/adrian-frutiger/
- exmadscientist 8y ago
  +1 for Univers! Honestly, it's right there in the names. Helvetica projects a very Swiss Modern feel to it. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes it's not. Univers is the most neutral typeface around that's got any personality at all. (I've always felt Haas Unica and many of the modern sans faces, especially the "brand" ones, have so little character to them that they're just completely bland and uninteresting.) Univers just... is. It's Frutiger's best design, and that's saying something. Other favorites of mine include Trade Gothic (& friends) and Futura. I'm a huge fan of the 1930s-1970s "industrial" look, like you might find stamped on motor nameplates for heavy machinery, or the Apollo cockpits, or the IBM 360 consoles. These designs just scream _solid_ in a way that modern stuff... doesn't. (Maybe because it isn't.) (Tangent to a tangent: does anyone know what typeface HP used on their equipment in the '70s through '90s? It's a very close cousin to Univers, but not identical. Maybe something internal only? I don't think it's just an odd cut of any of the usual suspects either. This is another typeface that has always connoted reliability and stuff that Just Works to me.) Still, though, like you, I'd say Univers is my favorite more days than not. If I had to pick only one typeface, it'd be the one (more days than not)... just don't make me do that :)
soperj 8y ago
Gotta say, the f and the t in the micro font are not good. At least while looking at it in my browser (firefox nightly on linux). They look like something out of comic sans.
- hbosch 8y ago
  I think it’s quite legible at intended sizes, though. Around 6pt or less.
  - jacobolus 8y ago
    Here’s a screengrab from a “2x retina” display of the sales page showing 8pt (so view this at 50%) https://i.imgur.com/9tpX2Vq.png https://i.imgur.com/9tpX2Vq.png
- skavi 8y ago
  Look at it in the intended size, and it looks great.
- lysium 8y ago
  I was hoping 'l' and 'I' would look differently.
jaredcwhite 8y ago
I did a little comparison between the bold weight of Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, and Helvetica Now, and the new typeface does look really, really nice. The letterforms aren't too noticeably different, but the kerning and relative positioning of the letters have been tweaked in such a way as to make the font appear more pleasing and readable (at least on my computer display). I'm also pleased this new font is available for use on websites via Fonts.com and in mockup work via SkyFonts. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind for future projects.
reaperducer 8y ago
Does this mean Apple will license this and include it in macOS the way it does (presumably) with Helvetica and Helvetica Neue? I really have no idea how something like this happens.
- zapzupnz 8y ago
  Apple no longer use this front. They have created their own font, San Francisco, and started using it 3 to 4 years ago. Edit: oh, I misunderstood! Apple might start using it, but they are not compelled to. A lot of other fonts such as Palatino have also been updated, but Apple doesn’t include them (yet).
  - byproxy 8y ago
    Likewise, Microsoft has released a bunch of updated system fonts. Arial Nova, Georgia Pro, Gill Sans Nova, Rockwell Nova, and Verdana Pro.
  - galago 8y ago
    Its not installed as an available font in MacOS, even though the its used for the UI. You can get it here if you want to use it within their licensing guidlines: https://developer.apple.com/fonts/ https://developer.apple.com/fonts/
rangibaby 8y ago
It looks OK from the specimens, Neue Haas Grotesk is still the best Helvetica IMO ... Font licensing is immoral rent seeking that takes advantage of a legal loophole and goes against the spirit of the law in major countries (typefaces are ineligible for copyright in at least the US and Japan), and I'm always disheartened by how many individual designers and companies have fallen for it.
- asciident 8y ago
  Can you say more about this?
  - rangibaby 8y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protection_of_typefaces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protecti... > Typefaces cannot be protected by copyright in the United States (Code of Federal Regulations, Ch 37, Sec. 202.1(e); Eltra Corp. vs. Ringer). The idea that typefaces (rather than fonts, which are computer software) cannot be copyrighted in the United States is black letter law. 37 C.F.R. § 202.1(e). Under U.S. law, typefaces and their letter forms or glyphs are considered utilitarian objects whose public utility outweighs any private interest in protecting their creative elements. However, there is a distinction between a font and a typeface. The machine code used to display a stylized typeface (called a font) is protectable as copyright. In 1992, the US Copyright Office determined that digital outline fonts had elements that could be protected as software. Since that time, the Office has accepted registration of copyright for digital vector fonts, such as PostScript Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType format files. TL;DR "On a computer, a typeface isn't a typeface so you have to pay us for it" c.f. Apple and rounded corners, Mickey Mouse...
    - anbop 8y ago
      Then why isn't every high profile font from Hoefler etc. immediately cloned by a generic competitor?
      - 8y ago
thde 8y ago
There‘s a relative to Helvetica, Unica, with quite an interesting story: https://lineto.com/Lineto.com/Frontpage+Features/LL+Unica77/ https://lineto.com/Lineto.com/Frontpage+Features/LL+Unica77/
niftich 8y ago
The Verge also did an interview with the designers [1]; I prefer The Verge interview to the Creative Boom announcement [2] that's the article link at the time of writing, because the interview adds detail behind the design process and reads much less like a marketing announcement. Truly the most amusing thing about the new typefaces are the alternate forms of certain iconic letters. The alternate forms are more classically resemble the legendary Akzidenz-Grotesk, in the tradition of paring back the few flourishes that Helvetica did have. Ironically some of the alternate forms also make it resemble Arial, Monotype's famous metric-identical Helvetica clone, despite Monotype's long insistence that Arial is less grotesk and more humanist. But I also found the not-sure-if-serious dissing of Arial to be mostly signalling and snobbery. Other alternate forms seem a bit odd, as if someone was playing 'design your own sans-serif typeface' and filled out the missing cells of a big row-column table for completion, like here's a geometric 't', and a humanist 'l'. But all that aside, the new typefaces look nice and are redrawn with purpose. The micro variant actually makes Helvetica usable at small sizes for the first time. It's a well-crafted family in the honor of a classic. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/9/18302057/helvetica-now-new-monotype-typeface-charles-nix-design-optical-sizes-alternate-characters https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/9/18302057/helvetica-now-new... [2] https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/monotype-launches-the-first-redesign-in-35-years-of-the-worlds-most-ubiquitous-font-helvetica/ https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/monotype-launches-the...
black-tea 8y ago
Is it really "the most ubiquitous font"? I always notice when someone has used Helvetica itself rather than some generic sans serif clone and it's not that often.
rambojazz 8y ago
Too bad this font doesn't have a free license.
- nightfly 8y ago
  Fonts like this represent an insane amount of work though. I would love a free version, but I can understand why they aren't free.
vages 8y ago
Design comment: what's the deal with the googly eyes in the static header on mobile?
- quickthrower2 8y ago
  It’s creative. bOOm.
  - plufz 8y ago
    I actually liked it. Often text logos can compete with the main text and headings in an article. Especially on mobile. Keeping the top nav all icons made the text of the article pop a bit more.
    - vages 8y ago
      This may be different from my phone to yours, but the eyes bounced back and forth on Safari mobile. This definitely took attention away from the article.
ChrisRR 8y ago
I know it's a "design" website and all, but can't they just show an A-Z so I can look at it? The official website has better representations, but is still full of a load of flashy animations and videos before you get to the actual font https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now
- Corrado 8y ago
  I was thinking the same thing and went through the whole article looking for a representation of the old font vs. the new font. It's my understanding that the only changes where kerning and slight shape changes but a picture of them side-by-side would be nice.
- msvan 8y ago
  They are selling a brand, not kerning.
samirsd 8y ago
yawn
aosaigh 8y ago
Where can I read more about the history of these “big hitter” fonts? It’s interesting to hear about the context within which they were created.
amelius 8y ago
Side-by-side comparison?
lqet 8y ago
Why is the T presented as though it is always aligned relative to its middle bar? Not only would this be an incredibly bad idea, it is (fortunately) not done on the official site [0] [0] https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now
- thanatropism 8y ago
  I'm not too knowledgeable about fonts (although I did learn how to spot Arial from Helvetica in that famous essay). Why does the uppercase R with its curvy "right leg" feel out of place with everything else that's straight?
dxxvi 8y ago
How is this $300 Helvetica compared to the free Noto font (which has sans-serif, serif and monospace from condensed extra light to bold)?
citrusui 8y ago
The article mentions a single story lowercase 'a' and straight-legged capital 'R'... does anyone have a comparison for these? I'm unable to see it on https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now
- mkozlows 8y ago
  https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/helvetica-now/ https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/helvetica-now/ lets you choose stylistic alternates. Stylistic set 04 is straight-legged R.
sam0x17 8y ago
How do you "re-design" a font? Isn't that just making an entirely new font with a subtley different style? Or is this more backfilling tons of unpopulated UTF-8 characters that aren't covered by the original font?
grawprog 8y ago
So... My dad was a typesetter and prepress technician for years. His favourite font was helvetica. I sent him this link. Here are his comments: >They fucked with "R" the only way too tell them abart, and they gave it a streight leg. >They messed with the dots wich was the othe way you could tell.

278 points by oedmarap 8y ago

Interesting. The new design makes it seem like they're trying to get away from the political stigma of Helvetica, while also kind of poking fun at it. Whereas the idea of Helvetica was to evoke things like openness, transparency, neutrality, naturalness, etc., the new typeface strikes me as being much more opinionated, but in a purposely understated sort of way. In a lot of ways it really looks like someone took the core ideologies of modern third-places and distilled them into a visual type system, which maybe says something about the privatization of formerly public spaces and infrastructure over the past 50+ years.

mc32 8y ago
But it also adds flexibility with the alternate glyphs, so in a way, less opinionated.
yodon 8y ago
I love that I have no idea whether that second paragraph is a real analysis or one making fun of font nerds.
- Alex3917 8y ago
  I mean if you watch the documentary Helvetica they do a pretty good job of explaining both the political statement the typeface was trying to make, the backlash against it as it was adopted/hijacked by corporations, and then the post-backlash period where we are now. If you look at the new typeface it's clearly designed primarily for the needs of consumer products and advertising. They could have instead created a typeface that was purposely designed to look bad on consumer products and in advertising, but that's not the direction they went in. That's not an accident, it was a deliberate design decision. Whereas the goal of the original typeface was to create a better society, the goal of the new one is basically to make it onto a Starbucks cup. It's not even a subtle difference, even though it's supposedly just an updated typeface the two are really night and day.
  - yodon 8y ago
    Yes, Helvetica is truly a joy to watch - I mean that genuinely - and thank you for the explanation of your analysis
  - exolymph 8y ago
    > the political statement the typeface was trying to make Hmm, I think that a typeface is possibly the least effective way to make a political statement. Approximately zero people looking at it will impute a political message.
    - byproxy 8y ago
      That's a good approximate, but I feel these kinds of "statements" are for a select few, and they'll have fun arguing the message's merits or lack-thereof. The rest of the world will continue on with these decisions of taste-makers serving as little more than a slight hum to the harmony of their lives.
    - Cthulhu_ 8y ago
      I do think there are some fonts that develop into having certain associations and meanings; I can't see how a font can be designed to have that association beforehand, but then, I'm not a designer or psychologist. But there's a definite cultural meaning to certain fonts; what springs to mind is Impact (memes), comic sans (trolling / badly designed websites / your aunt's emails), and "gothic" fonts (nazis) (https://www.dafont.com/mtheme.php?id=4 https://www.dafont.com/mtheme.php?id=4). I can imagine that font designers can take these fonts and their cultural associations and craft something new that evokes these.
      - atoav 8y ago
        Interestingly enough the Nazis actually tried to get rid of that old German typeface and were all for sans fonts. But these old German typeface was still so dominant during their regime, that in hindsight people (including neo Nazis) started connecting it with Nazis.
    - qubex 8y ago

oofabz 8y ago

absolutely grotesque

dang 8y ago
Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here. What would make a comment like this interesting is specific information about what is bad in the diff and why. (That, plus maybe a bit less name-calling.) https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Edit: no, you guys are right, I totally didn't get the joke.
- derefr 8y ago
  I think you got swooshed, a bit. The GP was almost certainly making a pun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif#Grotesque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif#Grotesque
  - pySSK 8y ago
    I thought so too but dang's post history shows knowledge of type. Maybe dang is saying that calling this a grotesque font is name calling and poster should post more on why it is one.
    - jdub 8y ago
      It's not name calling. It's a typeface nerd joke.
    - zorpner 8y ago
      He specifically says "what is bad" -- he simply didn't get the joke. No need to prance to defense of the mods when they miss something.
      - quickthrower2 8y ago
        Ok what do I need to know to get this joke?

pySSK 8y ago

The name Helvetica Now seems like an April Fools' joke. The name will not age well, plus there is potential for confusion with Helvetica Neue.

silvester23 8y ago
Not disagreeing, but to be fair, Helvetica Neue (neue meaning new in German), did not age well either. I would assume the creators are aware of that, maybe even choosing that name to be in the tradition of Neue.

neilpanchal 8y ago

Helvetica’s relatively less popular but ubiquitous cousin, Univers also got a facelift in 2010 after 30 years before Adrian Frutiger passed away under the name “Univers Next” [1], the most prominent aspect of the redesign being the return of 16 degree italics blessed by Frutiger himself. In my view, Univers evokes a deep feeling of sophistication unlike any other font. Helvetica has the “grunge” and New York aesthetic after it took over the graphic design scene in the 70’s and 80’s whereas Univers was silently used in engineering manuals, control panels, branding, keyboards(Apple), movie credits [2] and UI without much fuss. It never became cool and edgy as Helvetica, never tried to be something it is not and doesn't have a following. I was lucky enough to visit the archives [3] in a obscure drawer at the Museum fur Gestaltung in Zurich, seeing the original manuscripts of Univers was an extraordinary feeling. Created in 1950, it is truly timeless and sits along with other giants of contemporary typefaces such as Futura and Eurostile, perhaps in the back row towards the corner. Univers was, is and always will be. It’s my favorite font. [1] https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/univers-next/ https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/univers-next/ [2] https://www.dafont.com/forum/read/5633/what-s-the-font-for-movie-credits https://www.dafont.com/forum/read/5633/what-s-the-font-for-m... [3] https://www.eguide.ch/en/designer/adrian-frutiger/ https://www.eguide.ch/en/designer/adrian-frutiger/

exmadscientist 8y ago
+1 for Univers! Honestly, it's right there in the names. Helvetica projects a very Swiss Modern feel to it. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes it's not. Univers is the most neutral typeface around that's got any personality at all. (I've always felt Haas Unica and many of the modern sans faces, especially the "brand" ones, have so little character to them that they're just completely bland and uninteresting.) Univers just... is. It's Frutiger's best design, and that's saying something. Other favorites of mine include Trade Gothic (& friends) and Futura. I'm a huge fan of the 1930s-1970s "industrial" look, like you might find stamped on motor nameplates for heavy machinery, or the Apollo cockpits, or the IBM 360 consoles. These designs just scream _solid_ in a way that modern stuff... doesn't. (Maybe because it isn't.) (Tangent to a tangent: does anyone know what typeface HP used on their equipment in the '70s through '90s? It's a very close cousin to Univers, but not identical. Maybe something internal only? I don't think it's just an odd cut of any of the usual suspects either. This is another typeface that has always connoted reliability and stuff that Just Works to me.) Still, though, like you, I'd say Univers is my favorite more days than not. If I had to pick only one typeface, it'd be the one (more days than not)... just don't make me do that :)

soperj 8y ago

Gotta say, the f and the t in the micro font are not good. At least while looking at it in my browser (firefox nightly on linux). They look like something out of comic sans.

hbosch 8y ago
I think it’s quite legible at intended sizes, though. Around 6pt or less.
- jacobolus 8y ago
  Here’s a screengrab from a “2x retina” display of the sales page showing 8pt (so view this at 50%) https://i.imgur.com/9tpX2Vq.png https://i.imgur.com/9tpX2Vq.png
skavi 8y ago
Look at it in the intended size, and it looks great.
lysium 8y ago
I was hoping 'l' and 'I' would look differently.

jaredcwhite 8y ago

I did a little comparison between the bold weight of Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, and Helvetica Now, and the new typeface does look really, really nice. The letterforms aren't too noticeably different, but the kerning and relative positioning of the letters have been tweaked in such a way as to make the font appear more pleasing and readable (at least on my computer display). I'm also pleased this new font is available for use on websites via Fonts.com and in mockup work via SkyFonts. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind for future projects.

reaperducer 8y ago

Does this mean Apple will license this and include it in macOS the way it does (presumably) with Helvetica and Helvetica Neue? I really have no idea how something like this happens.

zapzupnz 8y ago
Apple no longer use this front. They have created their own font, San Francisco, and started using it 3 to 4 years ago. Edit: oh, I misunderstood! Apple might start using it, but they are not compelled to. A lot of other fonts such as Palatino have also been updated, but Apple doesn’t include them (yet).
- byproxy 8y ago
  Likewise, Microsoft has released a bunch of updated system fonts. Arial Nova, Georgia Pro, Gill Sans Nova, Rockwell Nova, and Verdana Pro.
- galago 8y ago
  Its not installed as an available font in MacOS, even though the its used for the UI. You can get it here if you want to use it within their licensing guidlines: https://developer.apple.com/fonts/ https://developer.apple.com/fonts/

rangibaby 8y ago

It looks OK from the specimens, Neue Haas Grotesk is still the best Helvetica IMO ... Font licensing is immoral rent seeking that takes advantage of a legal loophole and goes against the spirit of the law in major countries (typefaces are ineligible for copyright in at least the US and Japan), and I'm always disheartened by how many individual designers and companies have fallen for it.

asciident 8y ago
Can you say more about this?
- rangibaby 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protection_of_typefaces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protecti... > Typefaces cannot be protected by copyright in the United States (Code of Federal Regulations, Ch 37, Sec. 202.1(e); Eltra Corp. vs. Ringer). The idea that typefaces (rather than fonts, which are computer software) cannot be copyrighted in the United States is black letter law. 37 C.F.R. § 202.1(e). Under U.S. law, typefaces and their letter forms or glyphs are considered utilitarian objects whose public utility outweighs any private interest in protecting their creative elements. However, there is a distinction between a font and a typeface. The machine code used to display a stylized typeface (called a font) is protectable as copyright. In 1992, the US Copyright Office determined that digital outline fonts had elements that could be protected as software. Since that time, the Office has accepted registration of copyright for digital vector fonts, such as PostScript Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType format files. TL;DR "On a computer, a typeface isn't a typeface so you have to pay us for it" c.f. Apple and rounded corners, Mickey Mouse...
  - anbop 8y ago
    Then why isn't every high profile font from Hoefler etc. immediately cloned by a generic competitor?
    - 8y ago

thde 8y ago

There‘s a relative to Helvetica, Unica, with quite an interesting story: https://lineto.com/Lineto.com/Frontpage+Features/LL+Unica77/ https://lineto.com/Lineto.com/Frontpage+Features/LL+Unica77/

niftich 8y ago

The Verge also did an interview with the designers [1]; I prefer The Verge interview to the Creative Boom announcement [2] that's the article link at the time of writing, because the interview adds detail behind the design process and reads much less like a marketing announcement. Truly the most amusing thing about the new typefaces are the alternate forms of certain iconic letters. The alternate forms are more classically resemble the legendary Akzidenz-Grotesk, in the tradition of paring back the few flourishes that Helvetica did have. Ironically some of the alternate forms also make it resemble Arial, Monotype's famous metric-identical Helvetica clone, despite Monotype's long insistence that Arial is less grotesk and more humanist. But I also found the not-sure-if-serious dissing of Arial to be mostly signalling and snobbery. Other alternate forms seem a bit odd, as if someone was playing 'design your own sans-serif typeface' and filled out the missing cells of a big row-column table for completion, like here's a geometric 't', and a humanist 'l'. But all that aside, the new typefaces look nice and are redrawn with purpose. The micro variant actually makes Helvetica usable at small sizes for the first time. It's a well-crafted family in the honor of a classic. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/9/18302057/helvetica-now-new-monotype-typeface-charles-nix-design-optical-sizes-alternate-characters https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/9/18302057/helvetica-now-new... [2] https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/monotype-launches-the-first-redesign-in-35-years-of-the-worlds-most-ubiquitous-font-helvetica/ https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/monotype-launches-the...

black-tea 8y ago

Is it really "the most ubiquitous font"? I always notice when someone has used Helvetica itself rather than some generic sans serif clone and it's not that often.

rambojazz 8y ago

Too bad this font doesn't have a free license.

nightfly 8y ago
Fonts like this represent an insane amount of work though. I would love a free version, but I can understand why they aren't free.

vages 8y ago

Design comment: what's the deal with the googly eyes in the static header on mobile?

quickthrower2 8y ago
It’s creative. bOOm.
- plufz 8y ago
  I actually liked it. Often text logos can compete with the main text and headings in an article. Especially on mobile. Keeping the top nav all icons made the text of the article pop a bit more.
  - vages 8y ago
    This may be different from my phone to yours, but the eyes bounced back and forth on Safari mobile. This definitely took attention away from the article.

ChrisRR 8y ago

I know it's a "design" website and all, but can't they just show an A-Z so I can look at it? The official website has better representations, but is still full of a load of flashy animations and videos before you get to the actual font https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now

Corrado 8y ago
I was thinking the same thing and went through the whole article looking for a representation of the old font vs. the new font. It's my understanding that the only changes where kerning and slight shape changes but a picture of them side-by-side would be nice.
msvan 8y ago
They are selling a brand, not kerning.

samirsd 8y ago

yawn

aosaigh 8y ago

Where can I read more about the history of these “big hitter” fonts? It’s interesting to hear about the context within which they were created.

amelius 8y ago

Side-by-side comparison?

lqet 8y ago

Why is the T presented as though it is always aligned relative to its middle bar? Not only would this be an incredibly bad idea, it is (fortunately) not done on the official site [0] [0] https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now

thanatropism 8y ago
I'm not too knowledgeable about fonts (although I did learn how to spot Arial from Helvetica in that famous essay). Why does the uppercase R with its curvy "right leg" feel out of place with everything else that's straight?

dxxvi 8y ago

How is this $300 Helvetica compared to the free Noto font (which has sans-serif, serif and monospace from condensed extra light to bold)?

citrusui 8y ago

The article mentions a single story lowercase 'a' and straight-legged capital 'R'... does anyone have a comparison for these? I'm unable to see it on https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now https://www.monotype.com/fonts/helvetica-now

mkozlows 8y ago
https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/helvetica-now/ https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/helvetica-now/ lets you choose stylistic alternates. Stylistic set 04 is straight-legged R.

sam0x17 8y ago

How do you "re-design" a font? Isn't that just making an entirely new font with a subtley different style? Or is this more backfilling tons of unpopulated UTF-8 characters that aren't covered by the original font?

grawprog 8y ago

So... My dad was a typesetter and prepress technician for years. His favourite font was helvetica. I sent him this link. Here are his comments: >They fucked with "R" the only way too tell them abart, and they gave it a streight leg. >They messed with the dots wich was the othe way you could tell.