Frutiger wanted to offer a more human version of the geometric typefaces of the 1920s, such as Futura, with less rigid shapes better suited to reading long texts. The name "Avenir", French for "future", is a direct nod to Futura.
At a glance
Origin: Linotype, Germany.
Designer: Adrian Frutiger.
Date: 1988.
Evolution
In 2004, Frutiger and Akira Kobayashi released a revised and expanded version, Avenir Next, with new weights, condensed versions and small caps.
Famous examples
Avenir was notably chosen by the city of Amsterdam for its visual identity.
Current use
Installed on Apple devices, it is widely used in brand identities, signage and interfaces, for its balance between geometric rigor and softness.
Alternatives
Futura, Gotham, Nunito 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