Fonts of Adrian Frutiger in the Linotype Library

OCR™
OCR A and OCR B are standardized, monospaced fonts designed for "Optical Character Recognition" on electronic devices. OCR A was developed to meet the standards set by the American National Standards Institute in 1966 for the processing of documents by banks, credit card companies and similar businesses. This font was intended to be "read" by scanning devices, and not necessarily by humans. However, because of its "techno" look, it has been re-discovered for advertising and display graphics. OCR B was designed in 1968 by Adrian Frutiger to meet the standards of the European Computer Manufacturer’s Association. It was intended for use on products that were to be scanned by electronic devices as well as read by humans. OCR B was made a world standard in 1973, and is more legible to human eyes than most other OCR fonts. Though less appealingly geeky than OCR A, the OCR B version also has a distinctive technical appearance that makes it a hit with graphic designers.


Ondine™
Ondine is a script face reminiscent of gothic cursive writing from the middle ages. Frutiger understood historic letterforms well; as a student he’d made a series of prize-winning woodcuts showing the development of the western alphabet. As part of the design process for Ondine, Frutiger actually used scissors to cut the forms out of a piece of black paper, a technique that requires the vision and skill of an artist to exploit its apparent simplicity. Ondine was a sea nymph from Nordic mythology. Like her namesake, Ondine the typeface has gently swelling main strokes, sharp terminals, un-closed bowls in round letters, and the illusion of a very slight backslant. This font is sometimes used to give an air of Arabian exoticism, but Ondine works well for any display typography usage. Try it in point sizes of 12 and larger for book titles, advertising, or signage.


Pompeijana™
Pompeijana is named after Pompeii, one of the ancient Roman cities destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Excavations of the well-preserved ruins at Pompeii revealed election notices written on city walls, and the typeface Pompeijana is based on this brisk writing. The decorative look of the alphabet is achieved by placing the emphasis on the top and foot of the letters, making heavy horizontals and diamond-shaped serifs. Frutiger added the Borders font, a set of ornaments that are true to the style of the alphabet. Pompeijana is a striking display face that speaks persuasively when combined with modern sans serif typefaces; try it on your next political poster, restaurant menu, or book cover.


President™
President is a sharp-seriffed Latin titling face. "Latin" is a typographic designation for roman typefaces with wedge or triangular-shaped serifs, a stylistic form that Frutiger would return to later with his beautiful typeface Méridien. President has wide, solid shapes; very little contrast between thick and thin strokes; and an air of assurance. Use this titling font for business cards, announcements, or artistic signage.


Rusticana™
Rusticana’s historical roots go back to the Roman Capitalis; the engraved, all-cap writing of ancient Rome that reached its peak in the first century. From this style evolved other Roman forms, and this one was particularly good for text on bronze, as opposed to stone. With its chiseled and playfully geometric letterforms, Rusticana has an earthy, artisan-like appearance. Use it for display typography in magazines, invitations, and advertising. Rusticana also has a companion set of ornamental borders.


Serifa®
Adrian Frutiger developed Serifa in 1964, and it was released by the Bauer Type Foundry in 1967. He based the shapes in Serifa on those in Univers, the sans serif family he designed in the 1950s. While Serifa retains the geometric, linear skeletons of Univers, it has the addition of unbracketed square serifs, a squatter x-height, and boxier caps. Because of these characteristics, Serifa is a true representative of the slab serif (or Egyptian) style. Slab serifs designs first emerged at the beginning of the nineteenth century and have had a couple popular revivals in the twentieth century. Serifa is surprisingly elegant and legible, and with its six weights, it functions well in both text and display typography. See also Glypha, which is a condensed version of Serifa.


Vectora™
Adrian Frutiger designed Vectora for Linotype in 1990, after realizing there was need for a sans serif type that could be read easily at small sizes . He was influenced by the sans serif types designed by Morris Fuller Benton in the early 1900s for American Type Founders, such as Franklin Gothic and News Gothic. Vectora has a visually balanced monotone appearance, tall x-heights, taut individual shapes, and open counterspaces - all characteristics that aid in legibility at small sizes. Frutiger also built in design consistency to all the weights and styles to create a harmonious and functional family. When a contemporary sans serif is appropriate for text typography, Vectora provides a practical choice.


Versailles™
Adrian Frutiger designed Versailles™ for Linotype in 1984. He was influenced by lettering cut in metal on a memorial for Charles Garnier, the designer of the Paris Opera building in 1861. This style of lettering, called French Latine, is characterized by very sharp triangular serifs. The Versailles typeface evokes that time and place: it has a symmetrical, almost vertical axis; a tall x-height, and serifs so sharp they could draw blood. This sharpness contrasts nicely with neo-baroque elements such as the flat-but-curvy overhangs on the a, f, g, j and y. Versailles is perfect for shorter texts and titles or headlines. When used in large sizes or in the bolder weights, it has an astonishing impact. Let it perform on opera posters, websites, and advertising banners.