Arial was designed to match the proportions and widths of Helvetica exactly, so it could replace it without changing the layout, while avoiding its license fees.
At a glance
Origin: Monotype, United Kingdom.
Designer: Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders.
Date: 1982.
Evolution
Shipped with Windows 3.1 in 1992, it became one of the most widespread typefaces in the world. Often criticized by typographers as a copy of Helvetica, it differs through its angled terminals and differently drawn "R" and "G".
Famous examples
For years it was the default typeface of many software programs and websites, and it sets a huge number of administrative documents around the world.
Current use
Still present on almost every computer, it is mainly used as a fallback font on the web and in office documents.
Alternatives
Helvetica, Arimo, Liberation Sans.
Great typefaces glossary
Akzidenz-Grotesk, Arial, Avenir, Baskerville, Bodoni, Caslon, Circular, Cooper Black, Didot, DIN, FF Meta, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Futura, Garamond, Georgia, Gill Sans, Gotham, Graphik, Helvetica, IBM Plex, Inter, Minion, Montserrat, Myriad, Neue Haas Grotesk, Optima, Poppins, Roboto, Sabon, SF Pro, Source Sans, Source Serif, Times New Roman, Univers, Verdana