By Adrian Frutiger
Much has been written about the evolution of type: how the forms of our letters took shape, from the roman capitals to the Carolingian minuscules, and how the Latin alphabet was then, essentially, finalized for eternity by the first printing presses of the Renaissance Age.
Looking back from where we stand now, we could say that the original forms of our uppercase letters are around 2,000 years old, while those of our lowercase letters would be over 1,000 years old. And
[...]The repetition of simple geometric shapes forms a daily part of our environment. Throughout the 20th century – and into the 21st – typefaces whose designs have taken advantage of this have remained popular. But finding exactly the right mood can be tricky. For your convenience, we have grouped some of our favorite geometric typefaces (mostly sans serif and symbol) into four categories: circles, squares, ovals, and triangles.
Adrian Frutiger has spent decades working very closely with Linotype. In the many years of this fruitful collaboration, we’ve accumulated a number of photographs of Adrian Frutiger. These images show glimpses of the different periods and highlights of his life so far, including pictures of him working in his studio, moments of him along with his typefaces, and even more recent shots of him working together with Akira Kobayashi.
We hope that you enjoy browsing through these images.
Customers from all over the world come to Linotype.com every day to purchase fonts. Below is a list of the 20 typeface families that our customers licensed most often in during 2008. Do you know them all?
Adrian Frutiger: Right from the beginning, I was convinced that Avenir™ is the better Futura®.
Akira Kobayashi: I share your opinion, but some weights have been missing to make Avenir an all-purpose typeface.
Adrian Frutiger: You mean the condensed weights?
Akira Kobayashi: Yes, with this extension I’m sure Avenir will then be able to cut its own path.
Adrian Frutiger: Then we should get to work putting Avenir onto that path ...
Akira Kobayashi: Yes.
How to order Avenir Next:
Please
[...]Frutiger® – the sans serif classic.
Get the original from Linotype as single fonts, in a Value Pack, or on CD.
About Frutiger
Famous type designer Adrian Frutiger created a masterpiece with this typeface. Faced with the challenge of designing an exceptionally legible type for the signs of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, he developed the now legendary Frutiger in 1968. The original Linotype typeface has since been expanded to include 14 weights and is of course not just
[...]Adrian Frutiger is considered one of the most important typeface artists of the 20th century. He has been the creator of such internationally renowned typefaces as Avenir™, Linotype Centennial™, Frutiger™, Icone™, Meridien™ and Univers™. Numerous prizes distinguish his pioneering work in the fields of typography and the graphic arts.
More about the fonts:
Apollo™
The text typeface Apollo was designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1962–64, and was one of the first fonts produced by Monotype for
[...]Über die Lesbarkeit
Unter dem Einfluss der verschieden Druckverfahren hat die lateinische Textschrift subtile Formveränderungen erfahren. Grundsätzlich neue Formen sind jedoch keine entstanden. Als Demonstration dafür sind acht a in den meistgelesenen Schriftstilen mit einem Drehraster versehen und übereinander kopiert. Das Resultat zeigt eine erstaunliche Übereinstimmung.
Portrait
We can read because we perceive elements and forms which are familiar to us. So in order to even recognize words, we must first decipher the elements which make up the shapes of the letters – a process which involves the interplay of myriad aspects. To a certain degree, many of us are aware of these aspects. Yet Adrian Frutiger knows about such shifting dynamics in perception in a way no other person can, as he has been instrumental in researching the subject and over several decades
[...]Or why there´s now an Avenir Next
While Adrian Frutiger has created such famous typefaces as Univers™ or Frutiger™, another matter has remained very close to his heart – the design of his linear sans serif – the Avenir™.
In 1988, the Swiss typeface designer first presented Avenir to the public, which already at that time marked an excellent alternative to other well known typefaces such as Futura® or Avant Garde®. Compared to the mere metric construction of other typefaces, Avenir was
[...]
Font Designer: Adrian Frutiger, 1988
About the Font
Avenir® font was developed by the famous Swiss font artist Adrian Frutiger and presented by Linotype in 1988. The design of this font is based on the sans-serif typefaces Futura® and Erbar™. The name Avenir (future) gives us a clue as to Frutiger's intentions, to convey the idea of timelessness in the image of his typeface.
Avenir® was developed by the famous Swiss font artist Adrian Frutiger and presented by Linotype in 1988. The design of this font is based on the sans-serif typefaces Futura® and Erbar™. The name Avenir (future) gives us a clue as to Frutiger's intentions, to convey the idea of timelessness in the image of his typeface.
Adrian Frutiger: Right from the beginning, I was convinced that Avenir™ is the better Futura®.
Akira Kobayashi: I share your opinion, but some weights have been missing to make Avenir an all-purpose typeface.
Adrian Frutiger: You mean the condensed weights?
Akira Kobayashi: Yes, with this extension I’m sure Avenir will then be able to cut its own path.
Adrian Frutiger: Then we should get to work putting Avenir onto that path ...
Akira Kobayashi: Yes.
Avenir Next, along with
[...]With the invention of the printing press, a longing for formal refinement began to awaken. First leaning on the bold and distinct typography of incunabula, styles gradually progressed to culminate in the decorative classical fonts of the 17th and 18th centuries. This growing preoccupation with ever greater refinement was also reflected in the architecture of the times, as well as in objects of daily use, especially furniture. But also the fashionable attire worn by the upper classes of each
[...]
Adrian Frutiger designed Avenir™ in 1988, after years of having an interest in sans serif typefaces. In an
interview with Linotype, he said he felt an obligation to design a linear sans in the tradition of Erbar and Futura, but to also make use of the experience and stylistic developments of the twentieth century. The word Avenir means 'future' in French and hints that the typeface owes some of its interpretation to Futura. But unlike Futura, Avenir is not purely geometric; it has vertical strokes that are thicker than the horizontals, an "o" that is not a perfect circle, and shortened ascenders. These nuances aid in legibility and give Avenir a harmonious and sensible appearance for both texts and headlines. In 2004 Adrian Frutiger and the type director of Linotype GmbH Akira Kobayashi reworked the Avenir and created the Avenir Next for the Platinum Collection.
