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Avenir (typeface)
Encyclopedia
Avenir is a geometric sans-serif typeface
designed by Adrian Frutiger
in 1988, and released by Linotype GmbH, now a subsidiary of Monotype Corporation
.
The name Avenir is French for “future,” and takes inspiration from early geometric sans-serif typefaces Erbar
(1922) designed by Jakob Erbar
, and Futura
(1927) designed by Paul Renner
. Frutiger intended Avenir to be a more organic, humanist interpretation of these highly geometric types. While similarities can be seen with Futura, the two-story lowercase a is more like Erbar, and also recalls Frutiger’s earlier namesake typeface Frutiger
.
Avenir was originally released in 1988 with three weights, each with a roman
and oblique
version, and used Frutiger’s two-digit weight and width convention for names: 45 (book); 46 (book oblique); 55 (text weight); 56 (text weight oblique); and, 75 (bold) and 76 (bold oblique). The typeface family was later expanded to six weights, each with a roman and oblique version.
variant designed by Nadine Chahine, based on the original Avenir. Janna, which means “heaven” in Arabic, was first designed in 2004 as a signage face for the American University of Beirut
. The Arabic glyphs are based on the previously released Frutiger
Arabic, but were made more angular.
Two roman fonts, in regular and bold weights, were produced. It supports ISO Adobe 2, Latin Extended, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu characters, and tabular numerals for the supported languages.
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designed by Adrian Frutiger
Adrian Frutiger
Adrian Frutiger is one of the prominent typeface designers of the 20th century, who continues to influence the direction of digital typography in the 21st century; he is best known for creating the typefaces Univers and Frutiger.-Early life:Adrian Frutiger was born in Unterseen, Canton of Bern, as...
in 1988, and released by Linotype GmbH, now a subsidiary of Monotype Corporation
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings is a Delaware corporation based in Woburn, Massachusetts and specializing in typesetting and typeface design as well as text and imaging solutions for use with consumer electronics devices. Monotype Imaging Holdings is the owner of Monotype Imaging Inc., Linotype,...
.
The name Avenir is French for “future,” and takes inspiration from early geometric sans-serif typefaces Erbar
Erbar (typeface)
In typography, Erbar or Erbar-Grotesk was the first geometric sans-serif typeface ever created. Designer Jakob Erbar's aim was to design a printing type which would be free of all individual characteristics, possess thoroughly legible letter forms, and be a purely typographic creation...
(1922) designed by Jakob Erbar
Jakob Erbar
Jakob Erbar was a German professor of graphic design and type designer. Trained as a typesetter for the Dumont-Schauberg Printing Works, before studying under Fritz Helmut Ehmcke and Anna Simons. Erbar went on to teach in 1908 at the Städtischen Berufsschule and from 1919 to his death at the...
, and Futura
Futura (typeface)
In typography, Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul Renner. It is based on geometric shapes that became representative visual elements of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–1933...
(1927) designed by Paul Renner
Paul Renner
Paul Renner was a typeface designer, most notably of Futura. He was born in Wernigerode, Germany and died in Hödingen....
. Frutiger intended Avenir to be a more organic, humanist interpretation of these highly geometric types. While similarities can be seen with Futura, the two-story lowercase a is more like Erbar, and also recalls Frutiger’s earlier namesake typeface Frutiger
Frutiger
Frutiger is a series of typefaces named after its designer, Adrian Frutiger. Initially available as a sans serif, it was later expanded to include ornamental and serif typefaces.-Distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:...
.
Avenir was originally released in 1988 with three weights, each with a roman
Roman type
In typography, roman is one of the three main kinds of historical type, alongside blackletter and italic. Roman type was modelled from a European scribal manuscript style of the 1400s, based on the pairing of inscriptional capitals used in ancient Rome with Carolingian minuscules developed in the...
and oblique
Oblique type
Oblique type is a form of type that slants slightly to the right, used in the same manner as italic type. Unlike italic type, however, it does not use different glyph shapes; it uses the same glyphs as roman type, except distorted...
version, and used Frutiger’s two-digit weight and width convention for names: 45 (book); 46 (book oblique); 55 (text weight); 56 (text weight oblique); and, 75 (bold) and 76 (bold oblique). The typeface family was later expanded to six weights, each with a roman and oblique version.
Avenir Next
In 2004, Frutiger, together with Linotype in-house type designer Akira Kobayashi, reworked the Avenir family to address on-screen display issues. The result was titled Avenir Next. The typeface family was increased to 24 fonts: 6 weights, each with a roman and italic version, in 2 widths: normal and condensed. Frutiger's numbering system was abandoned in favor of more conventional weight names. The glyph set was expanded to include small caps, old style figures, subscripts and superscripts, ligatures.Janna
Janna is an ArabicArabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
variant designed by Nadine Chahine, based on the original Avenir. Janna, which means “heaven” in Arabic, was first designed in 2004 as a signage face for the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
. The Arabic glyphs are based on the previously released Frutiger
Frutiger
Frutiger is a series of typefaces named after its designer, Adrian Frutiger. Initially available as a sans serif, it was later expanded to include ornamental and serif typefaces.-Distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:...
Arabic, but were made more angular.
Two roman fonts, in regular and bold weights, were produced. It supports ISO Adobe 2, Latin Extended, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu characters, and tabular numerals for the supported languages.
Usage
- LG Electronics currently uses Avenir as the primary button typeface for most of their cellular phones.
- Avenir was immediately successful in print publishing. An improvement of hinting in Avenir Next has made for improved on-screen display, even in smaller point sizes.
- The city of AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
uses Avenir as principal typeface in its corporate identity. The font was chosen when design bureau Eden Design & Communication won a city wide competition. Eden contracted Thonik for the new design. - BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
has also begun to use Avenir as its main corporate font in its logo and identity, another shift away from the once universal use of the Gill SansGill SansGill Sans is a sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill.The original design appeared in 1926 when Douglas Cleverdon opened a bookshop in his home town of Bristol, where Eric Gill painted the fascia over the window in sans-serif capitals that would later be known as Gill Sans...
font across all of the BBC's output. - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Hong Kong International AirportHong Kong International AirportHong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
uses Avenir extensively as a part of its way-finding signage and brand identity. - Key BankKey BankKeyBank is a regional bank headquartered in Key Tower within Cleveland, Ohio's Public Square. , it is the 19th largest bank in the United States based on total deposits...
has begun using Avenir in its advertising and signage. - Avenir 45 Book is used internally and externally throughout the Spokane, WA based Red Lion Hotel Corporation.
- Philadelphia based SIG (Susquehanna International GroupSusquehanna International GroupThe Susquehanna International Group of Companies is a privately held global investment, trading and technology firm servicing securities markets worldwide...
) uses Avenir as its main font for corporate identity and branding. - Scottish Water uses Avenir as its main font for external communications and corporate branding.
- USA based electronics recycler Newport Computer Services has begun using Avenir as part of its logo and advertising.
- Avenir was used by the Japan AirlinesJapan Airlinesis an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
group quite extensively, including the words “Japan Airlines” painted on the sides of aircraft. - BanrisulBanrisulBanrisul is the largest bank in Southern Brazil and operates primarily in the state of Rio Grande do Sul , with a network that serves 364 cities . The services, however, are extended to other localities of Brazil...
, uses Avenir in its branding and advertising. - Dwell magazine began using Avenir, along with the Greta typeface, in a 2007 redesign of its publication.
- In 2008, Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest UniversityWake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
adopted Avenir as its primary sans serifSans-serifIn typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....
typefaceTypefaceIn typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
as part of its project to update the university's visual identityCorporate identityIn Corporate Communications, a corporate identity is the "persona" of a corporation which is designed to accord with and facilitate the attainment of business objectives...
, noting that the font "...conveys the balance, simplicity and strength of our University." - Avenir is used as a font for the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in all brand communication materials. - J. J. AbramsJ. J. AbramsJeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
' 2011 film Super 8 (film)Super 8 (film)Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction action film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler and was released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters...
uses Avenir for its titles. - The AT&TAT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
logo as of late 2005 uses Avenir. The font is also use in the company's advertising. - Carleton UniversityCarleton UniversityCarleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
uses Avenir alongside Egyptienne as a primary font in its visual identity.
External links
- Type Gallery - Avenir
- Overview on Avenir Next features
- Avenir at typophile
- Avenir vs. Avenir Next
- Linotype presents Avenir Next, a classic font by Adrian Frutiger, thereby expanding the Platinum Collection with a further typography highlight.
- New Arabic Typefaces for Multilingual Communication Today
- Janna Font Family - by Nadine Chahine
- Avenir Next Brochure
- Avenir on Fonts.com