From Apple’s product designs to its documentation, the company always looks to make everything it produces stylish. Apple is now leaning to a new typeface as part of the company’s signature style. Avenir comes with OS X but is also featured in the upcoming iOS 6. The design team at TWIST Creative, Inc. offered their perspective about the company’s switch and the font’s overall functionality.
“I welcome Apple’s change in typeface selection to Avenir. It is by far a more minimal, modern and beautiful san serif typeface than Lucida Grande or Myriad. The smaller x-height makes readability clean and clear. I also think the face lends itself to versatility and is well suited to the world wide audience.
However, I’m still a big fan of Helvetica Neue which will always stand the test of time. It ranks high on my list as a face that is extremely legible, classic and modern – no matter how it is used – headline, body text, uppercase & lowercase, or all caps! -Connie Ozan, Founder & Design Director
“Avenir is a far superior typeface to the others Apple has used. Designers have largely left behind Myriad & Lucida Grande because of their dated, humanist form and are favoring more geometric san-serif faces such as Gotham and Avenir. And, although Helvetica is still strong, it has reached its saturation point. The one challenge may be readability, that is where humanistic faces tend to have an advantage over geometric.
Avenir is also a nod to the design community because it is based on Paul Renner’s Futura which continues to be a staple and a favorite among most designers.” –Joel Miller, Art Director
“I am excited about the introduction of Avenir to the Apple typeface family. Much like Helvetica Neue, it is a clean, modern and friendly san-serif. And although there may be concerns with legibility, the face’s short x-height may work towards its advantage.
My thoughts are based on previous experiences with Avenir, and since the topic is really about user experience, I feel I will have a more comprehensive viewpoint once I interact with the typeface through various devices.” -Kim Hall, Designer
“I think moving away from a type family that is expected is a bold move for Apple. Apple has always been cutting edge, so I am not surprised they are switching up their typography. Avenir has been celebrated as a type family with a lot of legs, much like it’s predecessor, Helvetica Neue. I am curious to see how it plays out for Apple; as with any typeface, it’s all in the execution. The wide palette of weights makes Avenir a smart choice for the always well designed company. As Kim mentioned, it’s hard to come to a true conclusion without seeing the application. I am a little concerned with the legibility of Avenir at small sizes for the user interface, but perhaps they have something else in mind.” -Stacey Martin, Designer
“Avenir is a beautiful and modern sans serif with a lot of versatility, however I don’t know if it was the best choice for Apple. The face has already been used quite a bit and is similar to Futura which has been extremely popular over the years. This makes me wonder if it will reach its saturation point too quickly, similar to what happened with Helvetica, giving it a short life span before people become tired of it.
For a company that is cutting edge and leading innovation, I feel it would have been better for them to consider using an altogether fresh new face that is equally as beautiful but hasn’t been used or seen that much by the general public instead of jumping on the bandwagon.” -Liz Bermea, Design Intern
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