  helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by swiss typeface designer max miedinger with input from edouard hoffmann. it is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface akzidenz-grotesk and other german and swiss designs. one of the most popular typefaces of the 20th century, its use became a hallmark of the international typographic style that emerged from the work of swiss designers in the 1950s and 60s. over the years a wide range of variants have been released in different weights, widths and sizes, as well as matching designs for a range of non-latin alphabets. notable features of helvetica include the termination of all strokes on exactly horizontal or vertical lines and unusually tight letter spacing, which give it a dense, compact appearance. developed by the haas'sche schriftgiesserei (haas type foundry) of mÃ¼nchenstein, switzerland, its release was planned to match a trend: a resurgence of interest in turn-of-the-century grotesque typefaces among european graphic designers that also saw the release of univers by adrian frutiger the same year. hoffmann was the president of the haas type foundry, while miedinger was a freelance graphic designer who had formerly worked as a haas salesman and designer. miedinger and hoffmann set out to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage. originally named neue haas grotesk, it was rapidly licensed by linotype and renamed after the latin adjective for switzerland. ==history== influences of helvetica included schelter-grotesk and haas' normal grotesk. attracting considerable attention on its release as neue haas grotesk, linotype adopted neue haas grotesk for widespread release. in 1960, its name was changed by haas' german parent company stempel to helvetica (meaning swiss in latin) in order to make it more marketable internationally. the word's origins come from a derivative of helvetia, the national personification of the swiss confederation (confoederatio helvetica), similar to britannia in the united kingdom, marianne in france and historically columbia or lady liberty in the united states, and c
1957_introductions Government_typefaces Linotype_typefaces Neo-grotesque_sans-serif_typefaces Traffic_signs