Helvetica Type Specimen [D. Stempel AG]

Publisher: D. Stempel AG, Typefoundry, Frankfurt am Main
Publication: 1967, First Edition
Binding: Softcover, saddle-stitch
Pages: 28
Size: 210 x 220
Text: English

(Introduction) 'In Switzerland, sans-serif faces have been dominant for many decades and have thus attained a tradition unmatched in any other country.

In this setting, and out of this tradition, a new grotesque type face was developed in the 1950s which, because of its origin, bears the name 'Helvetica'.

Just over a decade ago, the first cutting of this new series was begun. In the intervening years, Helvetica has become solidly established throughout Europe, gaining a place of importance such as only a very few type faces have attained throughout the long history of typography. It has found wide favour with type users on every level - printers, advertising firms, graphic designers and typographers - and is nowfound, at every hand, in newspapers, magazines, books, posters and brochures, in both editorial and advertising applications. A number of major firms have even used Helvetica as the basis for complete systems of corporate graphics, from letterhead to logotype.

The first series in the Helvetica family was presented to the British graphic arts community in 1963, and it rapidly achieved a popularity paralleling its acceptance on the Continent. This popularity has grown as additional series were completed and released, until, today, a total of 12 varieties of Helvetica are available, as shown in the following pages. In addition, Linotype matrices have been manufactured of several weights and styles (obtainable through Linotype and Machinery Limited, Altrincham).
Helvetica's rapid and widespread acceptance is based on a number of factors. As a modern grotesque it is at once contemporary and timeless. This versatility of mood, in addition to Helvetica's clean design and variety of faces, sustain a wide range of applications, from both the design and the reproduction viewpoint.

Most basic is the functional character of Helvetica: its clarity and readability. These, in turn, result from the unusual x-height of the letters (in which the basic lower-case area occupies a much greater proportion of the type slug than usual), the open forms and the delicately balanced stroke thicknesses.

Helvetica's construction permits tight setting, for the density of composition widely favoured today. Together, these characteristics add up to a typeface of compact, striking and altogether unique appearance, unmistakably recognizable in a single word, as well as in a line ora larger body of text. The formal, functional and technical qualities of Helvetica have conjoined to make it one of those typefaces which outlast time and style.'

Condition: Very Good. All titles are used and show shelf ware consistent with age. Light rubbing and creasing to cover, occasional small mark, faint tanning.

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