Take over the Universe with Univers!

Univers is a San-Serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954. It is unique because it addresses its various weights by numbers. According to Graphic Design Referenced, Univers "uses optically even strokes and large x-height that increases legibility when used very small or as large as billboards and buildings can handle" (372). Originally released with 21 variations, Univers was reworked and expanded to include 63 fonts and was now categorized by three digit numbers (372). Also, Univers has a variety in its extensive family, from bold, oblique and roman to black, light, and a combination of each. With just Univers only, a Graphic designer can design what he or she wants, for example, our current weather project. The typeface provides all sorts of styles and different sizes.

Univers and Helvetica were released around the same time in 1957. However, the Frutiger’s grid was first introduced with the typeface Univers, which is how it became the Univers Grid. It was created to simplify weight labels, providing a systematic structure and order for the ever-growing popularity of variety in typefaces. The first number is the character weight and the second number is the character width (Graphic Design Referenced 372).