![]() ![]() The purpose behind the communication – for example, to inform, to entertain, or to persuade – is expressed, in part, by the typeface chosen. Ultimately, the final choice of typeface is a question of personal preference and taste.Īll typefaces serve fundamentally the same purpose: to communicate. Even after carefully considering all of these factors, though, a number of typefaces might be suitable for any given problem. Choosing a typeface is a process of elimination based on whether the macro- and microaesthetic qualities of the typeface are appropriate to the purpose of the communication and its context of use. Univers, of course, is not the only typeface suitable for use in typographic design. Especially in the late 20th century when novelty is unhesitatingly embraced and typefaces can be created on a whim, it is hard to imagine a typeface so thoroughly conceived and executed as Univers. Nevertheless, Univers remains, in my opinion, unequalled for its completeness, versatility, and aesthetic distinction. In particular, the desktop versions of Univers 47, 57, and 67 are considerably wider than their originals, consequently weakening the contrasts between different widths. Since the introduction of desktop publishing, several Univers fonts were deliberately altered in their conversion to digital form by software manufacturers. Inherent in this matrix of 21 fonts are countless possibilities for visual contrast in typographic design. The first digit indicates weight, the second slant roman is indicated by odd numbers, italics by even. Univers was designed as a matrix with 55 at the center: to the left are expanded fonts, to the right condensed above light, below bold. Its large x-height with short ascenders and descenders makes the font compact yet readable in small point sizes. Univers 55 manifests all the characteristics of a good text typeface. The first typeface ever conceived as a complete series, the original Univers series consists of 21 fonts, with Univers 55 serving as the primary font from which the other 20 were developed. Univers was created in the early 1950s by Adrian Frutiger, a Swiss type designer with a profound knowledge of the history of type and print technology. The upper case letters, which are only slightly heavier than lower “read” distinctly but unobtrusively in lengthy texts. Univers, moreover, is quietly refined in its visual details nothing extraneous detracts from the essential form of individual letters. Univers has neither the rigid forms of Helvetica nor the geometric constructions of Futura unlike Gill and many other sans serif faces it comprises a series complete in terms of weights as well as widths. Throughout my professional career, I have worked with many sans serif typefaces among them all I have found Univers uniquely versatile. In fact, the most important determinant of legibility (clarity and efficiency in reading) and readability (pleasure and interest in reading) is not the particular typeface but the arrangement and structure of information. While this may be so with lengthy text, readability is in most cases less a function of the presence of serifs in the typeface than of other factors: namely type size, weight, and slant line length and interline space paper, printing, and reading conditions. Traditionalists argue that serif type is more readable than sans serif. Today, the issue of serifs versus sans serif is no longer of aesthetic relevance or ideological interest: the decision to use one face or the other is better made on the basis of functionality and appropriateness. In the early 20th century, the vehement and animated debate between proponents and opponents of the then new sans serif type required typographers to take a stand for one side or the other. ![]() My own preference for Univers begins with its still-contemporary form and its comprehensive series of fonts. ![]() In connection with my work, I am often asked why I prefer Univers not only to serif typefaces but also to other sans serifs such as Futura, Gill, or Helvetica. ![]()
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