Typeface: Akzidenz Grotesk

Akzidenz Grotesk

Identifying Characteristics

tail of Q does not cross the circle
J does not descend below baseline
weird right-angle bar and spur at base of G (like Helvetica)
middle of M descends to baseline
single-story g (no lower ball)
square dots on i and j
double-story a
i is just a straight line
lacks Helvetica's tail on the R

Designer/History

Designed by Günter Gerhard Lange and issued by Berthold in 1896, Akzidenz was the forerunner of the ubiquitous Helvetica. It was used as a text font in Europe, especially Switzerland, until being supplanted by Univers and Helvetica, although in recent years it has made a comeback.

Character and Use

Compared to Helvetica Akzidenz is overall somewhat less wide, although paradoxically letters like C, G, O, and Q are wider and more geometric than in Helvetica. The fonts share the weird right angle bar at the base of the G, but Akzidenz does not have the distinctive rounded off square tail of Helvetica’s R. Akzidenz’s J is more truncated and points horizontically rather than vertically. Akzidenz has a smaller x-height, which is among the qualities that make it more appealing to me for most usages, especially continuous text. It comes in a range of weights and condensed and expanded forms.

Say What?

"It is the work of anonymous typecutters: craftsmen, specialists, whose professional background and experience meant they were familiar with the finest subtleties and principles, and not just those of Grotesque. They gave Akzidenz-Grotesk the ultimate accolade a typeface can have: a functional, formal rightness, transcending the whims of fashion."
-- Karl Gerstner


	Of Thomas Christensen, ABCedminded Typesetter

site home typehead home search sitemap blog daybook contact	Akzidenz Grotesk Identifying Characteristics tail of Q does not cross the circle J does not descend below baseline weird right-angle bar and spur at base of G (like Helvetica) middle of M descends to baseline single-story g (no lower ball) square dots on i and j double-story a i is just a straight line lacks Helvetica's tail on the R Designer/History Designed by Günter Gerhard Lange and issued by Berthold in 1896, Akzidenz was the forerunner of the ubiquitous Helvetica. It was used as a text font in Europe, especially Switzerland, until being supplanted by Univers and Helvetica, although in recent years it has made a comeback. Character and Use Compared to Helvetica Akzidenz is overall somewhat less wide, although paradoxically letters like C, G, O, and Q are wider and more geometric than in Helvetica. The fonts share the weird right angle bar at the base of the G, but Akzidenz does not have the distinctive rounded off square tail of Helvetica’s R. Akzidenz’s J is more truncated and points horizontically rather than vertically. Akzidenz has a smaller x-height, which is among the qualities that make it more appealing to me for most usages, especially continuous text. It comes in a range of weights and condensed and expanded forms. Say What? "It is the work of anonymous typecutters: craftsmen, specialists, whose professional background and experience meant they were familiar with the finest subtleties and principles, and not just those of Grotesque. They gave Akzidenz-Grotesk the ultimate accolade a typeface can have: a functional, formal rightness, transcending the whims of fashion." -- Karl Gerstner	* * navigation identifiers history qualities quotes
top of page	home