Helvetica: A brief history of the world's most preferred typeface

by Liz Publika

Helvetica: A brief history of the world's most preferred typeface

When you are reading something — whether it’s printed or digital — there’s a good chance you’re interacting with a Helvetica typeface*, since it’s the most popular typeface used today. 

But why is that? 

Helvetica, originally called Neue Haas Grotesk, is a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss designer Max Miedinger (1910-1980) and commissioner/art director Eduard Hoffmann (1892-1980) with the goal of creating a clean, clear, and highly readable typeface. The groundwork for its debut, however, was laid down over the course of several decades prior and inspired by a few different art movements. 

So, let’s take a look. 

The world’s most preferred typeface is one of the hallmarks of what is known in graphic design as the International Typographic Style that coalesced during the tail end of the 1950s. It is considered to be the basis of the subsequent and massively popular Swiss Style, and even though the two are different phenomena, they are nevertheless often used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. 

That’s because both emerged out of the desire to represent information objectively and free from the influence of associated meaning. But it’s the International Typographic Style that first built on and formalized the modernist typography innovations that emerged, in part, out of art movements —such as Constructivism (Russia), De Stijl (The Netherlands) and at the Bauhaus (Germany). 

In some ways, the International Typographic Style was a byproduct of increased international trade post-World War II, when relations between countries grew steadily stronger. Typography and design were crucial for helping grow and maintain these relationships by emphasizing clarity, objectivity, region-less glyphs, and symbols. Anything extra could be confused or misinterpreted, so simplicity was best.

The International Typographic Style is marked by the use of a mathematical grid to provide an overall orderly and unified structure; sans serif typefaces in a flush left and ragged right format; and black and white photography in place of drawn illustration. The overall impression is meant to be simple and rational, tightly structured and serious, clear and objective, as well as harmonious.

The style was refined at two Swiss design schools: one based in Basel under the leadership of Armin Hofmann (1920-2020) and Emil Ruder (1914-1970); and the other in Zurich led by Josef Müller-Brockmann (1914-1996). All three creatives had studied with Ernst Keller (1891-1968) at the Zurich School of Design before WWII, where they learned the principles of the Bauhaus and Jan Tschichold's New Typography. 

Ernst Keller, who is considered the “father of Swiss style," became a professor at the design school in 1918 and began developing a graphic design and typography course, which is one of the first systematic training programs for graphic design in the world. His work relied on simple geometric forms, vibrant colors and evocative imagery to further elucidate the meaning behind each design. 

His many years of teaching between 1918 and 1956 resulted in very different designers. That’s because Keller did not teach a specific style, rather he taught a philosophy of style that dictated "the solution to the design problem should emerge from its content." As such, many of the early International Typographic Style works featured typography as a primary design element in addition to its use in text, and it is for this that the style is named. 

During the 1950s, European graphic designers renewed their interest in turn-of-the-century “grotesque” sans-serif typefaces. This revival encouraged a stripping down of typographic forms, resulting in families like Univers and setting the stage for the work of Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. Their goal was to design a neutral typeface—clear, free of stylistic connotations, and flexible enough for use across many kinds of signage.

Over time, the typeface expanded into a large family, with variants in multiple weights, widths, and sizes, along with coordinated designs for many non-Latin writing systems. In its original form, Helvetica is defined by a high x-height, strokes that end cleanly on horizontal or vertical lines, and unusually tight letter spacing, producing a compact, weighty visual presence.

Note* A typeface is a set of distinct glyphs that characterize a particular style of lettering. Fonts are variations within a typeface, like italic or bold. So the latter is part of the former.