Named in tribute to Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Gothic is one of the great American grotesques of the early 20th century. It was designed for newspaper headlines and advertising, where it brought strength and impact.
At a glance
Origin: American Type Founders, United States.
Designer: Morris Fuller Benton.
Date: 1902.
Evolution
International Typeface Corporation released an expanded version in 1980, ITC Franklin Gothic, which secured its lasting success. A free version, Libre Franklin, is available on Google Fonts.
Famous examples
The MoMA logotype in New York is based on Franklin Gothic No. 2, redrawn by Matthew Carter in 2004.
Current use
It remains very present in the press, advertising and cultural identities, for its strong presence at large sizes.
Alternatives
Libre Franklin, News Gothic, Akzidenz-Grotesk.
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