UNIVERS - Pascale Roberts

fig. 1

The typeface “Univers” was designed by Swiss typographer Adrian Frutiger in 1954, and is his most widely successful and used design. Frutiger was a member of the International Style that dominated typographic design during the 1950s, which was based on “the creation of a grid for all designs and the concentration on sans serif faces and asymmetrical layouts.”[i] Along with Helvetica, Univers is the typeface that is “most emblematic of type design within the 20^th century, as neither could be mistaken for the product of an earlier century, yet neither was so radical as to prevent quick adoption.”[ii]

Although the design of Univers was a response to an increased need for sans serif fonts – as it was believed that sans serif was the only typeface suitable for almost every kind of printing use in the present century – it was more of a “fulfilment of (Fruitger’s) functionalist ideas” than a “market-led product.”[iii] Frutiger had studied at ‘Kunstgewerbeschule’ in Zurich under Ernst Keller, and was greatly influenced by Keller’s beliefs in “clarity and simplicity, restricted styles and close letter fit.”[iv] These principles are evident within the design of Univers, as the typeface “takes into account the desire for a modern, lightly stressed gothic”[v] style and produces a range of 21 fonts in 5 weights and 4 widths, the greatest number of planned weights and variations of width available that had ever been made for a single design[vi].

When launched in 1954 by French type foundry, Deberny & Peignot, Univers was accompanied by a distinctive specimen sheet presenting all 21 weight and width variants in a logical palette with reference numbers rather than imprecise names such as ‘extra bold’.[vii] This contributed to the aim of it being a ‘universal’ typeface, as it was easier to select which variant worked best in different situations.

fig. 2

It is classified as a sans serif Neo-Grotesque ‘lineal’ typeface with “optical, not mathematical rules governing the design of every letter within the series.”[viii] While still similar to ‘Grotesque’ lineals, ‘Neo-Grotesque’ types have a less marked stroke width contrast than Grotesque lineal groupings. This means that the individual characters of Univers have a sense of “being designed rather than retaining any pen-drawn characteristics.”[ix] However one of the main differences between ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Neo-Grotesque’ typefaces is that ‘Neo-Grotesque’ “g”s do not have a lower bowl, but instead an open stoke. This along with more open jaws of letters, such as “c,”[x] make sans serif fonts, like Univers, more modern alternatives, yet also mean that san serif typefaces require more effort to read when set and printed in a continuous reading matter[xi]. This is due to the fact that serifs help link each character to one another forming a continuous line for the eye to follow. A way to counter this is to allow for more leading (space between the lines) when typing in sans serif.

---

[i] Lewis Blackwell, Twentieth Century Type (Singapore: Laurence King Publishing, 1992), 96.

[ii] Ibid., 100.

[iii] Ibid.,104.

[iv] Ibid., 96.

[v] Ibid., 104.

[vi] Ruari McLean, The Thames and Hudson Manual of Typography ( London: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1980), 69.

[vii] Blackwell, Twentieth Century Type, 104.

[viii] McLean, Manual of Typography, 70.

[ix] Blackwell, Twentieth Century Type, 199.

[x] Ibid.

[xi] McLean, Manual of Typography, 70.

[fig. 1] http://www.identifont.com/samples/linotype/Univers.gif (accessed 06/03/11)

[fig. 2] http://im.typotheque.com/static/Univers.png (accessed 06/03/11)