  univers (, "Ã¼nivair") is the name of a sans-serif typeface designed by adrian frutiger in 1954.meggs, philip b. (1998). "meggs' history of graphic design - 4th edition". john wiley & sons. p.361. isbn 0-471-69902-0 classified as a neo-grotesque typeface, one based on the model of the 1898 typeface akzidenz-grotesk, it was notable on its launch for its availability in a comprehensive but consistent range of weights and styles. frutiger would go on to become one of the most notable typeface designers of the 20th century, and univers proved enormously influential: it was one of the first typefaces to fulfill the idea that a typeface should form a family of consistent, similar designs. past sans-serif designs such as gill sans had much greater differences between weights, while akzidenz-grotesk and the franklin gothic family often were advertised under different names for each style, to emphasise that they were separate and different. by creating a matched range of styles and weights, univers allowed documents to be created in one consistent typeface for all text, increasing the range of documents that could be artistically set in sans-serif type. originally conceived and released by deberny & peignot in 1957, the type library was acquired in 1972 by haas. then transferred into the d. stempel ag and linotype collection in 1985 and 1989 respectively upon the haas'sche schriftgiesserei (haas type foundry) acquisition and closing. == characteristics == univers is one of a group of neo-grotesque sans-serif typefaces, all released in 1957,spiekermann, erik and e.m. ginger (2003). stop stealing sheep & find out how type works. peachpit press, p. 65. isbn 978-0-201-70339-9 that includes folio and neue haas grotesk (later renamed helvetica). as all are based on akzidenz-grotesk, these three faces are sometimes confused with each other. these typefaces figure prominently in the swiss style of graphic design. different weights and variations within the type family are designated by the use of numbers rather than names, a system since adopted by frutiger for other type designs. frutiger envisioned a large family with multiple widths and weights that maintained a unified design idiom. however, the actual typeface names within univers family include both number and letter suffixes. currently, univers type family consists of 44 faces, with 16 uniquely numbered weight, wid
1957_introductions Digital_typefaces Letterpress_typefaces Linotype_typefaces Neo-grotesque_sans-serif_typefaces Photocomposition_typefaces