Frutiger grew out of the signage of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, commissioned in the late 1960s. Frutiger was looking for a typeface readable from afar, in motion and from different angles, which led him to open, humanist shapes.
At a glance
Origin: Stempel and Linotype, Germany.
Designer: Adrian Frutiger.
Date: 1976.
Evolution
Originally named "Roissy", it was adapted for typographic use and then revised in 2000 as Frutiger Next, and later as Neue Frutiger.
Famous examples
It sets the signage of many airports and hospitals, the identity of the NHS, the British health service, and a derived version is used on Swiss road signs.
Current use
It remains a reference for signage, healthcare, transport and public institutions.
Alternatives
Myriad, Source Sans, Univers.
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