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Akzidenz Grotesk vs Helvetica Neau
Posted by sg238 in
27 May 2012 — 8:16am
27 May 2012 — 8:16am
Does anyone prefer using one to the other? Just interested really, as I saw a graphic design student in my class use Akzinenz and I wondered why this was.
Any thoughts?
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27 May 2012 — 8:45am
Because it’s trendy, because it says “others use Helvetica because everyone does, I know better, so I use its ancestor”.
27 May 2012 — 10:04am
Some people are especially attracted to things with sharp, pointy-looking names. Ironic double-entendre too, like Gotham.
***
A contradiciton; either that student is following the crowd (“trendy”) or avoiding it (“better”).
If it’s a question of how the face looks, I’ve always loved the “2” in Akzidenz Grotesk.
27 May 2012 — 10:40am
BTW, Helvetica “just say Neau” is a keeper!
27 May 2012 — 11:04am
I wondered why this was
Ask him or her. Mind-reading is an amusing pursuit, but it isn’t always as fruitful as going to the source.
27 May 2012 — 11:32am
A juxtaposition: there are various levels of trendiness, and of snobbery.
AG is the new Helvetica is the new AG.
27 May 2012 — 1:27pm
Neue Haas Grotesk
27 May 2012 — 3:10pm
I prefer Akzidenz personally, but I can see arguments for using either in different cases. They do have very distinct personalities. I don't see them as interchangeable.
27 May 2012 — 3:35pm
Some people like rough stones, some the ones that have been rounded of by eons in a riverstream. Same with AG (rough and full of character) and Helvetica (streamlined, everybody’s best friend).
I know which one I prefer. And I also like the modern takes that keep the character and raise the usability, like National and Founders Grotesk.
28 May 2012 — 10:52am
Personally, I prefer Helvetica to both Helvetica Neue and to Akzidenz Grotesk (Standard). Maybe that just shows that I lack taste.
But that's a general preference, and there are times when the other two typefaces have their place, depending on what mood one wishes to create.
29 May 2012 — 12:55pm
If we allow students to believe that AG and Helvetica are completely interchangeable than we have failed.
30 May 2012 — 7:05am
Are you a teacher now? What if "than" is not completely interchangeable with "then"?
This is off topic, sorry. Moderators: is it also too personal? Feel free to delete.
5 Jun 2012 — 4:26pm
Akzidenz is much better for paragraph setting.
6 Jun 2012 — 4:15am
Do the Capitals of Akzidens Grotesk have a heavier relative weight to the lowercase characters compared with others? I read a book set in AG and after a while the Capitals starting sentences started to stick out to me. Or is that something common with all of it's relatives?
6 Jun 2012 — 6:43am
David Berlow once nicely explained the rationale behind that. But these days when I search for old Typophile stuff I get exhausted.
hhp
6 Jun 2012 — 7:14am
This completely broken search really eviscerates Typophile.
17 Jun 2012 — 8:00pm
I like both, I just like Akzidenz better. Just seems to have what Helvetica sometimes seems to lack.
17 Jun 2012 — 8:29pm
Helvetica = White; Akzidenz Grotesk = Whole Wheat
17 Jun 2012 — 8:35pm
Also: Arial = White with added fiber (wood pulp)
18 Jun 2012 — 6:06am
Oi, @Mark, don't forget that sometimes grasswood (particle board) is just what you need.
22 Jun 2012 — 7:59am
Helvetica stands out for being very clean and tidy without being severe. A somewhat rare and likeable combination.
Very regular spacing, the characters tend to end in a neat horizontal line instead of emphasising the shapes, curves flow neatly into straights.
However, I find Helvetica a surprisingly poor text face - much worse than most that look almost identical at first glance. The same regularity coupled with a large x-height makes it tiring to read because there is little to guide the eye.
Akzidenz Grotesk fares much, much better.
Stressed capitals:
I found these helpful if the author uses long sentences in a language without gratuitous capitalisation: names and starts of sentences are things that the reader may want to find quickly.
They break the flow and become seriously annoying if there is too much capitalisation though; German set in typefaces with shouty capitals is a pet peeve.