Universe was created by Adrian Frutiger and published by Deberny & Peignot in 1957 which was around the same time that Helvetic and Optima were published. Initially Frutiger was asked to adapt Futura but instead he suggested he wanted to work on something else, by referring back to old sketches he had done he was able to create 'Univers' in just 10 days.Common characteristics associated with it are:
- Squaring of round strokes
- Two-storied a is the most distinctive letter, with a straight back, no baseline curl, and perpendicular connection at top of bowl
- G lacks Helvetica spur
- Diagonal strokes of k meet at stem
- Has a smaller x-height than Helvetica
Univers was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and was used by brands such as: Deutsche Bank, General Electric and Apple who used it on their laptop keyboards until 2007. Due to it's clarity and the fact it is easy to read, it was perfect for signage and was used in Frankfurt International Airport and on London street signs, in Disney World and the 1972 Olympics in Munich. It is still regularly used today by brands such as CNN and eBay, it is also used on tests and exams in the UK because of its clear distinction between the characters I and 1.
In 1967 new street signs were created for the city of westminster using univers. What I like about this design is that it doesn't look dated to say it is almost 50 years old. The use of univers which was a fairly modern typeface at the time has helped this as well as the kerning.
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