The whole Univers
Hello everyone.
I am currently creating a book about the diverse usages of Univers. It is essentially a responce to the Lars Muller Hommage to Helvetica book with the aim of giving Univers its due as a true type great.
I am making good progress but am sure that i am still only scratching the surface, if anyone has any good examples of its use (pictures or details) I would love to be made aware of them.
Wil
18.Feb.2008 7.12am
One prominent use that springs immediately to mind:
Communication Arts has been using Univers for years.
David Thometz
18.Feb.2008 8.17am
Otl Aicher’s identity system for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games is a quite famous example of Univers in use.
18.Feb.2008 8.33am
Will, if you can try to get your hands on Emil Ruder’s book Typography which is entirely set in Univers and shows how it can be used to good effect. In the PDF of Mark Simonson’s SOTA lecture on Adrian Frutiger you’ll find several samples of it, too.
18.Feb.2008 12.34pm
Yes, Ruder was indeed one of the most prominent partisans of Univers when it was released.
18.Feb.2008 3.00pm
Friedrich Friedl gave The Univers due respect.
19.Feb.2008 4.32am
You are quite right Nick, unfortunately this was not sufficient to make it a houshold name with wider awareness of its artistic importance.
Thank you for your comments thus far everyone, they are realy helpful.
Does anyone know if it was used in any public information works such as public transport signs?
19.Feb.2008 6.04am
I have several images.
Contact me st
typographer@gmail.com
19.Feb.2008 6.04am
I have several images.
Contact me at:
typographer@gmail.com
19.Feb.2008 6.19am
A variation of Univers condensed, called Traffic, was used as a signage typeface for Muenchen Airport. The design for the signage scheme was done by Otl Aicher and Eberhard Stauss to coincide with the olympic games (I think). It’s been modernised by Wangler and Abele.
19.Feb.2008 6.39am
Will, contact me, I have some nice old documents I can post you.
20.Feb.2008 4.33am
Once again a big thank you to everyone.
I am however still strugling to find some more day to day uses for univers, things we see around the home or on the street for exxample.
If anyone could help me with ideas for this it would be great.
Will
22.Feb.2008 2.41am
I think that the redesign of the identity of Poste Italiane (http://www.poste.it) is based on Univers.
But in local postal offices Univers is traslated in Arial.
25.Feb.2008 4.24am
Thanks, I will look into it.
Will
25.Feb.2008 4.52am
Rochester Institute of Technology used Univers on all the signage for buildings and parking lots.
25.Feb.2008 5.12am
Thats great Paul. Thank you.
Can anyone think of any domestic products, tins of beans and the like, which use it?
Will
25.Feb.2008 1.21pm
Hi Will,
I’m pretty sure that some of the classic penguin jackets used Univers, those designed by Romek Marber... They might look cool in your book.
26.Feb.2008 5.27am
Thanks Umily. They would be a great addition, i will investigate them.
Wil
26.Feb.2008 12.34pm
You won’t find it in America, but apparently many of the Central European nations use Univers for everything that an American might use EDIT Helvetica for.
unfortunately this was not sufficient to make it a houshold name with wider awareness of its artistic importance.
Mike Parker of the Font Bureau, formerly of Linotype, would be a great person to contact, since he’s apparently the person who made the decision in America to go with Helvetica over Univers for the Linotype. Or so he says :)
The fact that Helvetica was the cheaper typeface to license for the Linotype machine in America made the decision that effects us all today. Had Univers been cheaper, Parker would have decided to go with it because of its then obvious advantages of the number of styles. Helvetica at that point was only a few cuts compared to the family of 21 of Univers.