Apple wanted to replace Helvetica Neue with an in-house typeface better suited to small screens. San Francisco first appeared on the Apple Watch, before being extended to iOS and macOS.
At a glance
Origin: Apple, United States.
Designer: Apple's type design team.
Date: 2015, under the name San Francisco.
Evolution
The family has grown to include SF Compact, SF Mono, New York, a serif typeface, and a variable version that automatically adjusts its design to the size.
Famous examples
It runs on every Apple device, from iPhone to Mac, and sets the brand's communication.
Current use
It is used throughout the Apple ecosystem and by developers of iOS and macOS applications.
Alternatives
Inter, Helvetica Neue, Roboto.
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