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All-purpose typefaces with the versatility to be used over and over again. If this isn’t looking beautiful as email view it on the web. |
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There’s no better type investment than a workhorse — an all-purpose typeface with the versatility to be used over and over. In this edition of FontShop Fundamentals we recommend sans serifs with the potential to take that trusted place in your typographic toolbox. We’ll reach beyond the common classics to underused type that is just as well made. Stylistically, these font families can sing more than one note, letting them work in a variety of projects. Functionally, they have a broad range of weights and OpenType features fitting for any setting. |
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Grotesques (or Gothics) were the first sans serifs to appear in type history. Rugged and straightforward, they are the classic workhorses, communicating without pretension. Some grots have a lot of character (FF Hydra), while others, sometimes called Neo-Grotesques, are more austere (ARS Maquette). |
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The idea behind FF Hydra came from the unique lettering of French poster art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Silvio Napoleone thought the lettering of this period combined qualities of whimsy, economy and impact. Just reissued in OpenType, FF Hydra hits the scene again just in time for another revival of the wood type aesthetic. And it’s not just for poster sizes: the Text version is capable of setting many lines of readable copy. |
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Amid a portfolio of bolder, more idiosyncratic type, Angus Shamal’s most neutral face is a clean, reliable neo-grotesque in the spirit of Helvetica and no-nonsense architectural lettering. |
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A reaction to the ornamentation and frills of the Victorian era, Geometric type is almost machine made. These faces are built from the most basic shapes and cleanest lines, suited for cold hard data and high-tech topics. |
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T-Star is the fruit of designer Michael Mischler’s many labors. Originally designed and used as the text font for the popular book Los Logos, Mischler spent several years tweaking T-Star Mono Round (a face of soft-ended glyphs, all with same width). The result was T-Star, a nine-weight proportional sans serif face with a clinical look. Built using a rational — rather than chirographic — concept, T-Star has much in common with the cold, technical typefaces in the DIN genre. But its narrow fit and unusual details put it in a class by itself. |
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Based on a 1930s design by Arno Drescher which was the GDR’s equivalent of the unavailable Futura, FF Super Grotesk is less strictly geometric than its forebearer. And thanks to its optional double-story ‘a’ and ‘g’ it can take on different personalities depending on the subject and tone at hand. |
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Humanist sans serifs take us back to the tradition of the original serifs — type informed by handwriting. The influence of the pen gives Humanist faces a friendly, organic feeling. Strokes are more lively than in the other classes, forms are more open. |
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Designed by Thomas Thiemich, Alto is a no-nonsense typeface that avoids quirky details in favour of down-to-earth usability. Its neutral design is well attuned to daily design needs, suitable for a broad spectrum of subject matter and functions. With an impressive nine weights and four widths, Alto is one of the largest sans families available. The Pro version includes all the less-common niceties as well: small caps; lining, old style and small cap figures (each in tabular and proportional widths); fractions; comprehensive superiors, inferiors, numerators and denominators; case sensitive punctuation sets; mathematical and monetary symbols; arrows; standard and discretionary ligatures; and support for all (Latin script based) Western, Central and East European languages. |
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Xavier Dupré’s latest design is a contemporary alternative to Gill Sans, perfect for whenever there’s a need for a subtle friendliness and sense of familiarity. And because it was created as part of a super family its versatility can be extended even further. FF Yoga OT fonts come with standard ligatures, small caps, case-sensitive forms, lining and oldstyle figures in tabular and proportional widths, and arbitrary fractions. FF Yoga Pro fonts add support for Central/Eastern European languages like Polish, Czech, Hungarian, and Turkish. |
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QUICK POLL Who do you buy fonts for? Maybe you work for a small firm or in-house design team. Or perhaps you are responsible for supplying a global corporation with type. Let us know how many people use the fonts you license so we can serve you better. Click one: |
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| Just me | 2-5 users | 6-25 users | more than 25 | |||||
Have something else to say? We welcome your feedback. |
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