Helvetica receives its first design update in 35 years
Images via Monotype
Words by Tara Smith
Still waiting on a Comic Sans update tho.
The font that is often heralded as the ‘world’s most beloved typeface’ has received its first update in 35 years.
Helvetica (which you might recognise from brand logos such as American Apparel, Target and Jeep) has been redesigned to better suit the needs of today’s designers.
The update – dubbed Helvetica Now – addresses the original font’s issues, including uneven spacing between letters and illegibility at smaller sizes. To combat this, three versions of Helvetica Now are available – ‘micro’, ‘text’ and ‘display’.
‘Micro’ is for small screens (like smartphones and watches), ‘display’ is for signage (think billboards) and ‘text’ is for more standard sizes in written materials (such as textbooks).
The changes aren’t massive, but will make a big difference to those in the design industry. It will take some time to come into effect, with the font available to license from Monotype.
If you’d like to see the new font in action, you can test it out for yourself here.
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