The Univers® typeface family is one of the most prolific grotesque sans-serif typefaces of the century. Like Helvetica®, Univers is based on 1898’s Akzidenz-Grotesk. However, Univers is unique in that the design lacks superfluous features of any type, creating a design that is versatile and distinctive without being obstrusive. Adrian Frutiger began work on Univers in 1954, completing his design in 1957. The Univers type family has grown to 44 different weights and styles, some of which include Cyrillic characters.
The Univers typeface is one of the most popular, sans serif designs of the 20th century. Adrian Frutiger’s goal in developing Univers was to create a modern interpretation of traditional 19th century grotesques. He began drawing the faces in 1953 but the family was not released until 1957. Univers was also one of the few typefaces designed for both metal and phototypesetting technologies.
Univers was produced by Deberny & Peignot at a time when the company was still actively selling metal type and had just begun to market one of the first practical phototypesetting devices. Clear thinking and an eye to the future dictated that Univers would have to be made available for both technologies in order to be commercially successful.
A very important aspect of the Univers family is its modularity. Frutiger wanted to create a series of related designs that were absolutely harmonious with each other. This could only be accomplished by determining the complete family range as part of the design process or by building the family within a strict modular framework. Frutiger did both.
Frutiger has continued to improve and expand the Univers family, working with Linotype designers to add new weights and enlarging the character set to include many languages such as Greek, Cyrillic and Arabic. The final iteration of the family, Univers Next – a complete upgrading of the design – was released in 2010.
Univers 65 Bold and 55 Roman
Univers has been used by San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has been employed in numerous applications including corporate branding, signage, maps, standardized testing and consumer electronics devices. Apple used
Univers on its laptop keyboards until switching to the
VAG Rounded™ typeface in 2007.
Univers is used in tandem with Frutiger in the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, as well as being the primary typeface used by Germany’s Frankfurt International Airport and the Montreal Metro System. Rand McNally used
Univers to label maps and atlases before switching to the
Frutiger® design in 2004.
Univers is used on tests and exams in the UK, preferred for the clear distinction between similar characters such as I and 1.