The original design of the Neue Haas Grotesk™ family for handset metal composition has been modified gradually since it first became the Helvetica® family. First, the regular and bold weights were redesigned for duplexing on two-letter matrices for Linotype® linecasters. Some years later, when the family was adapted for phototypesetting, the compromises that had been made for machine-set metal were maintained. In the 1980s, the Linotype Design Studio redrew and rationalized the family as Neue Helvetica. Unfortunately, many of the metal type design traits were still retained in the new design. In addition, because the condensed and extended versions were drawn with “squarer” curves and bowls, the normal width designs also acquired this atypical design trait.
The new digital version of Neue Haas Grotesk takes Helvetica back to its origins.