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Comment by chaosmachine | Hacker News Reader

I think Helvetica would be almost as reviled as Arial if it was the standard on Windows.

Maybe if Helvetica were also an attempt to re-create a classic Swiss Modernist typeface without paying licensing fees by arbitrarily making a bunch of frequently inconsistent and aesthetically questionable stroke changes, yes.

I don't think Calibri will be disliked anywhere near as much, being an original, with more of an elegant nod to classic humanist types like Frutiger rather than a passive-aggressive attempt to emulate-but-not-fully.

So what's a good Swiss Modernist typeface I should use instead of Helvetica?

I like Univers[1]. If you would like something a bit more exciting have a look at the younger Frutiger[2]. Originally designed for signage (finished in 1975 for the Charles De Gaulle International Airport), but works well in other contexts, too.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Univers

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frutiger

This isn't so much an alternative to Helvetica as an improvement upon it, but I mention it here because some of you may like to see it.

Haas Unica: the lost successor to Helvetica, no longer available because of licensing issues, but subtly refined by the same foundry after decades of experience with the original in an attempt to create the ultimate sans serif.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bauldoff/2389110985/

Univers + Helvetica = Unica

I own a digitisation of Unica, acquired many moons ago. It is rather nice. There’s not much more to say, I’m mostly just showing off.

I like Calibri, it's a refreshing font.

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