> Grotesque sans were uncommon before the (say) 60s, and were very stylized for the time. Source? Wikipedia sayeth about Helvetica: "The aim of the new desig

> Grotesque sans were uncommon before the (say) 60s, and were very stylized for the time. Source? Wikipedia sayeth about Helvetica: "The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage." There's a history of sans-serifs (with emphasis on grotesques) here http://www.linotype.com/en/795/thesansseriftypefaces.html?PHPSESSID=0641f83aea23fabe3c6f41f77198c82e http://www.linotype.com/en/795/thesansseriftypefaces.html?PH... that seems to suggest they had caught on pretty well by the 20s.