Univers
Encyclopedia
Univers is the name of a realist sans-serif
typeface
designed by Adrian Frutiger
in 1954.
Originally conceived and released by Deberny & Peignot
in 1957, the type library was acquired in 1972 by Haas. Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei (Haas Type Foundry
) was later folded into the D. Stempel AG and Linotype collection in 1985 and 1989 respectively.
lower case:
square dot over the letter i.
double storey a.
upper case:
dropped horizontal element on A.
figures:
sans-serif
typefaces, all released in 1957, that includes Folio
and Neue Haas Grotesk (later renamed Helvetica
). These three faces are sometimes confused with each other, because each is based on the 1898 typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk. These typefaces figure prominently in the Swiss Style
of graphic design
.
Different weights and variations within the type family are designated by the use of numbers rather than names, a system since adopted by Frutiger for other type designs. Frutiger envisioned a large family with multiple widths and weights that maintained a unified design idiom. However, the actual typeface names within Univers family include both number and letter suffixes.
Currently, Univers type family consists of 44 faces, with 16 uniquely numbered weight, width, position combinations. 20 fonts have oblique positions. 8 fonts support Central European character set. 8 support Cyrillic character set.
Despite the large family of widths, the @ mark is not rescaled by width.
In addition to extra font width and weight combinations, the fonts are digitally interpolated, so that character widths scale uniformly with changing font weights. For fonts within a specific font weight, caps height, x-height, ascender and descender heights are the same. For oblique fonts, the slope is increased from 12° to 16°, and the character widths were adjusted optically. In addition, characters such as &, ®, euro sign, are redesigned.
, Avenir
, and Neue Helvetica typeface families.
The number used in a font is a concatenation of two numbers. The first set defines weight, while the second defines width and position.
(note: oblique
is not strict italic
)
Due to some typeface manufacturers’ failure to understand and implement the system correctly, however, things have actually become more confusing. To further complicate matters, the numbering system is not consistently applied to the Univers font family. In older publications, all oblique fonts have even-numbered 2nd values; but in digital versions, both odd and even 2nd values have been used on oblique fonts, but not in all font formats or weights. For example, Univers 55 Roman Oblique has both Windows menu names and PostScript full names as Univers LT 55 Oblique and Univers 56 Oblique, but only for the Windows PostScript version of the font; however, in Univers 85 Extra Black Oblique, there is no font named Univers 86 in any format. Nevertheless, oblique Univers fonts always have even-numbered 2nd value.
Inconsistent usage aside, the syntax of 2nd value is also inconsistent with 1st value. Bigger 1st value implies the glyph of a given character uses more horizontal space, but it has opposite meaning in 2nd value.
Univers enjoyed great popularity in the 1960s and 1970s because many corporations adopted it for usage. It is used in a modified version by the new Swiss International Air Lines
(previously, Swissair
used the typeface Futura
), Munich Re Group (which also uses a personalized version), Deutsche Bank
and for signage all over the world. General Electric
used the font from 1986 to 2004 before switching to GE Inspira
. Apple Inc. previously used this typeface as well as its condensed oblique variant for the keycaps on many of its keyboards, before completely switching to VAG Rounded
in August 2007 with the introduction of new keyboards and the new iMac (their notebook computers already featured that typeface since 1999). Univers is known for its clear lines and legibility
at great distances.
The Montreal Metro
, San Francisco BART
, various Toronto Transit Commission
subway stations, Frankfurt airport
and the Walt Disney World road system also make extensive use of this typeface. Some but not all London borough
s use Univers Bold Condensed for street signs. The Royal Air Force
adopted the font for all merchandising material in 2006 to complement its new corporate logo. Ordnance Survey
also adapted Univers for use on their maps (added tails on the lowercase l and t, and other small changes to help distinguish the type from the map details) of which they own all rights to. In 2006, the Office of Fair Trading
adopted Univers as its corporate typographic voice in size 12-point so that visually impaired people can more easily read its publications.
The font is also used in the UK for School Tests and exams extensively, due to its clear differences between characters like I and 1 that prevents confusion between letterforms.
Rand McNally once used Univers on their maps and atlases from the 1970s to 2004 when they adopted use of Frutiger
.
From 1974 to 1987 the World Book Encyclopedia
used Univers as their secondary font, including the introductory page of every volume.
Univers is embedded in the HP LaserJet
1100 Printer. Installing a LaserJet 1100 on a Windows system will also add several new fonts to the list, with a printer icon near their names. This icon means that the selected font is a printer font (processed by the printer), instead of a system font (processed and rasterized by the system, such as a TrueType
or OpenType
typeface).
Since early 2009, CNN Domestic
and CNN International
have adopted several weights of Univers in their on-screen graphics. CNN International used Helvetica
until the switch to Univers, while CNN Domestic previously used many different typefaces.
ESPN
also used Univers as its main font for their on-screen graphics from 2004 to 2010. However in their broadcasts of NFL
's Monday Night Football
, NBA on ESPN and ESPN Major League Baseball
, they changed to Franklin Gothic
in the 2006-07 season. SportsCenter
and other ESPN-related programming gradually switched to Klavika
in their on-screen graphics in 2009, later followed by the network's flagship live programs.
Most Fox Television Stations use this in newscasts.
Frutiger (with Howard "Bud" Kettler) adapted Univers for the 9-unit escapement system on the IBM Selectric Composer widely used for in-house typesetting in the 1960-70s.
Univers 45, 55, 65, 57, 67, 53, 63 are incorporated in PostScript standard as PostScript 3 core fonts.
Audi Sans is a variant based on Univers, designed by Ole Schäfer. It became Audi's corporate identity font in 1990s, when Audi contracted MetaDesign to support Audi's brand management strategy.
Differences between Univers and the two other fonts include:
Sans-serif
In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....
typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designed by Adrian Frutiger
Adrian Frutiger
Adrian Frutiger is one of the prominent typeface designers of the 20th century, who continues to influence the direction of digital typography in the 21st century; he is best known for creating the typefaces Univers and Frutiger.-Early life:Adrian Frutiger was born in Unterseen, Canton of Bern, as...
in 1954.
Originally conceived and released by Deberny & Peignot
Deberny & Peignot
Deberny & Peignot was a French type foundry, created by the 1923 merger of Peignot foundry and the Laurent & Deberny foundry. It was bought by the Haas Type Foundry of Switzerland in 1972, which in turn was merged into D...
in 1957, the type library was acquired in 1972 by Haas. Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei (Haas Type Foundry
Haas Type Foundry
Haas Type Foundry was a Swiss manufacturer of foundry type. First the factory was located in Basel, in the 1920's they relocated to Münchenstein.-History:...
) was later folded into the D. Stempel AG and Linotype collection in 1985 and 1989 respectively.
Visual Distinctive Characteristics
Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:
square dot over the letter i.
double storey a.
upper case:
dropped horizontal element on A.
figures:
Characteristics
Univers is one of a group of neo-grotesqueGrotesque (typeface classification)
Grotesque, or Grotesk in Germany, is a style of sans-serif typeface from the 19th century. The name was coined by William Thorowgood, the first person to produce a sans-serif type with lower case, in 1832...
sans-serif
Sans-serif
In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....
typefaces, all released in 1957, that includes Folio
Folio (typeface)
Folio is a realist sans-serif typeface designed by Konrad Bauer and Walter Baum in 1957 for the Bauersche Gießerei...
and Neue Haas Grotesk (later renamed Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
). These three faces are sometimes confused with each other, because each is based on the 1898 typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk. These typefaces figure prominently in the Swiss Style
International Typographic Style
The International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, is a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, and...
of graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
.
Different weights and variations within the type family are designated by the use of numbers rather than names, a system since adopted by Frutiger for other type designs. Frutiger envisioned a large family with multiple widths and weights that maintained a unified design idiom. However, the actual typeface names within Univers family include both number and letter suffixes.
Currently, Univers type family consists of 44 faces, with 16 uniquely numbered weight, width, position combinations. 20 fonts have oblique positions. 8 fonts support Central European character set. 8 support Cyrillic character set.
Despite the large family of widths, the @ mark is not rescaled by width.
Linotype Univers and Univers Next
In 1997 Frutiger reworked the whole Univers family in cooperation with Linotype, thus creating the Linotype Univers, which consists of 63 fonts. By reworking the Univers more "extreme" weights as Ultra Light or Extended Heavy were added as well as some monospaced typefaces. The numbering system was extended to three digits to reflect the larger number of variations in the family.In addition to extra font width and weight combinations, the fonts are digitally interpolated, so that character widths scale uniformly with changing font weights. For fonts within a specific font weight, caps height, x-height, ascender and descender heights are the same. For oblique fonts, the slope is increased from 12° to 16°, and the character widths were adjusted optically. In addition, characters such as &, ®, euro sign, are redesigned.
Linotype Univers Typewriter
Linotype Univers Typewriter is a sub-family of fixed-width fonts under the Linotype Univers family. Four fonts have been produced in Regular and Bold weights, with obliques on each weight. Characters such as 1, I, J, M, W, i, j, l, dotless j are drawn differently.The Frutiger numbering system
Adrian Frutiger designed his unique classification system to eliminate naming and specifying confusion. It was first used with Univers, and was adopted for use in the FrutigerFrutiger
Frutiger is a series of typefaces named after its designer, Adrian Frutiger. Initially available as a sans serif, it was later expanded to include ornamental and serif typefaces.-Distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:...
, Avenir
Avenir (typeface)
Avenir is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1988, and released by Linotype GmbH, now a subsidiary of Monotype Corporation....
, and Neue Helvetica typeface families.
The number used in a font is a concatenation of two numbers. The first set defines weight, while the second defines width and position.
| |Suffix | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Weight | - | Ultra Light | Thin | Light | Normal, Roman, or Regular | Medium | Bold | Heavy | Black | Ultra or Extra Black |
| Width and position | Ultra Extended | Ultra Extended Oblique | Extended | Extended Oblique | Normal | Oblique | Condensed | Condensed Oblique | Ultra Condensed | |
(note: oblique
Oblique type
Oblique type is a form of type that slants slightly to the right, used in the same manner as italic type. Unlike italic type, however, it does not use different glyph shapes; it uses the same glyphs as roman type, except distorted...
is not strict italic
Italic type
In typography, italic type is a cursive typeface based on a stylized form of calligraphic handwriting. Owing to the influence from calligraphy, such typefaces often slant slightly to the right. Different glyph shapes from roman type are also usually used—another influence from calligraphy...
)
Due to some typeface manufacturers’ failure to understand and implement the system correctly, however, things have actually become more confusing. To further complicate matters, the numbering system is not consistently applied to the Univers font family. In older publications, all oblique fonts have even-numbered 2nd values; but in digital versions, both odd and even 2nd values have been used on oblique fonts, but not in all font formats or weights. For example, Univers 55 Roman Oblique has both Windows menu names and PostScript full names as Univers LT 55 Oblique and Univers 56 Oblique, but only for the Windows PostScript version of the font; however, in Univers 85 Extra Black Oblique, there is no font named Univers 86 in any format. Nevertheless, oblique Univers fonts always have even-numbered 2nd value.
Inconsistent usage aside, the syntax of 2nd value is also inconsistent with 1st value. Bigger 1st value implies the glyph of a given character uses more horizontal space, but it has opposite meaning in 2nd value.
Linotype numbering system
In Linotype Univers font family, a 3-number system is used. First letter describes font weight, second letter describes font width, third letter describes position.| |Suffix | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Weight | - | Ultra Light | Thin | Light | Regular | Medium | Bold | Heavy | Black | Extra Black |
| Width | - | Compressed | Condensed | Basic | Extended | |||||
| Position | Roman | Oblique | ||||||||
Usage
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...
(previously, Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
used the typeface Futura
Futura (typeface)
In typography, Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul Renner. It is based on geometric shapes that became representative visual elements of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–1933...
), Munich Re Group (which also uses a personalized version), Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
and for signage all over the world. General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
used the font from 1986 to 2004 before switching to GE Inspira
GE Inspira
GE Inspira is a typeface developed by Michael Abbink around 2002 for the new visual identity system of the General Electric Company. Since it is a proprietary typeface of GE, not much is known about it. According to the GE Brand Manual, the typeface is at the forefront of GE's brand expression and...
. Apple Inc. previously used this typeface as well as its condensed oblique variant for the keycaps on many of its keyboards, before completely switching to VAG Rounded
VAG Rounded
VAG Rundschrift or VAG Rounded is a geometric sans-serif typeface that was designed as a corporate typographic voice for the Volkswagen AG motor manufacturer.It features rounded termini on all strokes...
in August 2007 with the introduction of new keyboards and the new iMac (their notebook computers already featured that typeface since 1999). Univers is known for its clear lines and legibility
Legibility
Legibility is the degree to which glyphs in text are understandable or recognizable based on appearance. "The legibility of a typeface is related to the characteristics inherent in its design .....
at great distances.
The Montreal Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, San Francisco BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
, various Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
subway stations, Frankfurt airport
Frankfurt International Airport
Frankfurt am Main Airport , or simply Frankfurt Airport, known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen, is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, Germany, southwest of the city centre....
and the Walt Disney World road system also make extensive use of this typeface. Some but not all London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s use Univers Bold Condensed for street signs. The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
adopted the font for all merchandising material in 2006 to complement its new corporate logo. Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
also adapted Univers for use on their maps (added tails on the lowercase l and t, and other small changes to help distinguish the type from the map details) of which they own all rights to. In 2006, the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
adopted Univers as its corporate typographic voice in size 12-point so that visually impaired people can more easily read its publications.
The font is also used in the UK for School Tests and exams extensively, due to its clear differences between characters like I and 1 that prevents confusion between letterforms.
Rand McNally once used Univers on their maps and atlases from the 1970s to 2004 when they adopted use of Frutiger
Frutiger
Frutiger is a series of typefaces named after its designer, Adrian Frutiger. Initially available as a sans serif, it was later expanded to include ornamental and serif typefaces.-Distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:...
.
From 1974 to 1987 the World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia
The World Book Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia published in the United States. It is self-described as "the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world." The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, and...
used Univers as their secondary font, including the introductory page of every volume.
Univers is embedded in the HP LaserJet
LaserJet
LaserJet as a brand name identifies the line of dry electrophotographic laser printers marketed by the American computer-company Hewlett-Packard . The HP LaserJet was the world's first desktop laser printer.-Technology:...
1100 Printer. Installing a LaserJet 1100 on a Windows system will also add several new fonts to the list, with a printer icon near their names. This icon means that the selected font is a printer font (processed by the printer), instead of a system font (processed and rasterized by the system, such as a TrueType
TrueType
TrueType is an outline font standard originally developed by Apple Computer in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe's Type 1 fonts used in PostScript...
or OpenType
OpenType
OpenType is a format for scalable computer fonts. It was built on its predecessor TrueType, retaining TrueType's basic structure and adding many intricate data structures for prescribing typographic behavior...
typeface).
Since early 2009, CNN Domestic
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
have adopted several weights of Univers in their on-screen graphics. CNN International used Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
until the switch to Univers, while CNN Domestic previously used many different typefaces.
ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
also used Univers as its main font for their on-screen graphics from 2004 to 2010. However in their broadcasts of NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, NBA on ESPN and ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
, they changed to Franklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic and its related faces are realist sans-serif typefaces originated by Morris Fuller Benton in 1902. “Gothic” is an increasingly archaic term meaning sans-serif. Franklin Gothic has been used in many advertisements and headlines in newspapers. The typeface continues to maintain a...
in the 2006-07 season. SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
and other ESPN-related programming gradually switched to Klavika
Klavika
Klavika is a family of sans-serif fonts designed by Eric Olson and released by Process Type Foundry in 2004. It contains four weights: light, regular, medium, and bold and variations of numerals....
in their on-screen graphics in 2009, later followed by the network's flagship live programs.
Most Fox Television Stations use this in newscasts.
Frutiger (with Howard "Bud" Kettler) adapted Univers for the 9-unit escapement system on the IBM Selectric Composer widely used for in-house typesetting in the 1960-70s.
Univers 45, 55, 65, 57, 67, 53, 63 are incorporated in PostScript standard as PostScript 3 core fonts.
Audi Sans is a variant based on Univers, designed by Ole Schäfer. It became Audi's corporate identity font in 1990s, when Audi contracted MetaDesign to support Audi's brand management strategy.
In popular culture
Seattle based electronic group Darkpine used the typeface as inspiration for their 2011 single and video "Univers".Comparison with Akzidenz-Grotesk, Folio, and Helvetica
- The tail of 'a' and the top of '1' are much less rounded.
- 'G' is formed without an arrow head (called a spur).
- The arms of 'K' join at the stem.
- The tail of 'Q' runs along the baseline.
- The tail of 'R' is curved (compared with Akzidenz-Grotesk).
- The top of 't' is angled.
- 'Y' has a straight descender.
- many of the numerals in Univers have straight vs. curved ascenders