Helvetica was born at the height of the International Typographic Style, which sought clarity, objectivity and neutrality. It was meant to modernize Akzidenz-Grotesk and compete with the other sans serifs of the time.
At a glance
Origin: Haas type foundry, Münchenstein, Switzerland.
Designer: Max Miedinger, with Eduard Hoffmann.
Date: 1957, under the name Neue Haas Grotesk. It was renamed Helvetica in 1960.
Evolution
Distributed by Stempel and Linotype, it spread all over the world. It was redrawn in 1983 as Neue Helvetica, and again in 2019 as Helvetica Now, released by Monotype.
Famous examples
It set the logotypes of American Airlines, Lufthansa and Panasonic, the New York subway signage and the iOS 7 interface. A documentary by Gary Hustwit was devoted to it in 2007.
Current use
It remains one of the most used typefaces in the world, in identities, signage and publishing.
Alternatives
Neue Haas Grotesk, Arial, Inter.
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