Maryann's Blog: Adrian Frutiger

Adrian Frutiger is a world famous font designer from Switzerland. He became interested in the world of type at a young age and pursued a classical education in that area. From age sixteen, where he apprenticed as a printer, he was employed at that reflected his interest in typography and art. He soon began experimenting with his own type forms. His first font design was Phoebus, but the one that cemented his fame was Univers. Univers is a widely popular sans-seraph font with a large x-height and an even stroke weight. This style is uniquely applicable, seemingly with a stylistic variation for every occasion. Although it has been suggested to avoid using this typeface for extremely lengthy works (like a book), it is surprisingly usable for just about any other typographic need. Another rather exclusive feature to Univers is the organizational grid. Instead of referring to each of the styles within the Univers family only by name, Frutiger developed a number system. Each of the variations of the Univers has a number that corresponds to its characteristics. The first digit is based on the line weight and the second is based on letter width and position. He created twenty eight type designs other than Phoebus and Univers including Westside, Avenir, Frutiger, and President.