We've all heard of Helvetica and Arial. Both are commonly used typefaces, and both are extremely versatile, used for a variety of purposes including commercial, on-screen text and personal use. However, many of us see the two as identical. In fact, this is not the case. Continue reading this Helvetica/Arial comparison to discover the differences between these fonts.
Helvetica’s background
Helvetica was originally designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger, for the Haas Typefoundry as ‘Neue Haas Grotesk’. It is Grotesque sans serif, meaning its letterforms are based on geometric shapes and strokes are of a constant thickness, similar to the style of its ancestor, the 1898 face Akzidenz-Grotesk.
The face was rebadged as Helvetica, Latin for ‘Swiss’, after it was acquired by Linotype in 1960. Since then, the Helvetica family has expanded, now encompassing variations such as Helvetica Neue, Helvetica World, Helvetica Inserat, Helvetica CY, Helvetica Textbook, Helvetica Rounded and more. Needless to say, each variant contains a range of thicknesses and oblique versions.
Helvetica is still a highly popular font, with many prominent uses. It is used in commercial wordmarks for Panasonic, Microsoft, Jeep, BMW, Motorola and Mattel amongst many others. iPhone, iPad and iPod all utilize Helvetica in their user interfaces, and many public entities use it too. Examples are the Canadian Government, CNN and numerous transit services.
Arial’s background
Arial was designed in 1982 for Monotype Typography. It was based on Monotype Grotesque and the aim was to create a generic, almost bland-looking typeface. Similar to Helvetica, Arial is a Grotesque sans serif. However, many argue that Arial carries a softer and more natural appearance than the rigid Helvetica.
Arial’s big break came in 1992 when Microsoft announced it would ship the typeface with Windows 3.1, as one of four core fonts and an “alternative to Helvetica”. The inclusion of Arial in all Windows releases since has made it one of the most widely used and recognized typefaces in the world.
Helvetica versus Arial - Differences in appearance
As you can now see, the backgrounds of Helvetica versus Arial are quite distinct. The differences in their appearances are not as explicit, but with a sharp eye it is not too difficult to identify whether that elusive text is Arial or Helvetica.
While many characters are uniform, there are certain features that can be used to make a Helvetica/Arial comparison. The ends of the strokes in the characters ‘t’, ‘e’, ‘c’ and ‘C’ are all cut off either vertically or horizontally in Helvetica, whereas Arial terminates its strokes with angled ends. In addition, the uppercase ‘G’ and ‘R’ characters are decidedly disparate. Helvetica’s ‘G’ contains a spur in the lower right hand corner; Arial’s does not. The leg of Arial’s ‘R’ is straight, versus Helvetica’s wavy ‘R’ leg.
Helvetica’s lowercase ‘a’ has a markedly longer and curlier tail than Arial’s. Watch out, however, as this trend does not continue in bold weights of Helvetica, an attribute that many typography aficionados disapprove of. Finally, the spur of Arial’s ‘1’ is angled, versus Helvetica’s which protrudes at a right angle from the stem.
You can compare Helvetica characters and Arial characters at I Love Typography’s 'Arial Versus Helvetica'. Get used to these, and you should be able to identify any piece of text set in Helvetica or Arial at first glance.
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Glenn Stringer - I am a student and part-time freelance writer. I live in Australia and write from an Australian perspective and on topics of relevance to ...
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