Visually similar alternatives to Helvetica?

Question

I'd like to use something similar-but-different for my poster project.

I've already ruled out:

• Arial
• Avant Garde/Futura - too geometric
• Frutiger - too humanist /'friendly'

I guess I'm looking for something that will be a close match in most of its shapes but will have enough points of difference to make people (OK, other designers) wonder what I've used. e.g. a single story 'a' or distinctly different 'g'.

Please include a visual example if possible, and include some reasons why each font would be a good choice; I'm after a smallish number of well-thought-out suggestions, and definitely not a bare list.

NB this is a 'seed' question and I'm happy to edit it to make it a good fit for the site.

Answer 1

• counters in C, c and e have similarly closed feeling
• bowls in a, b, d, g, p & q are relatively wider
• arches in m & n are sharper
• x-height slightly lower
• slightly more condensed
• distinct Q
• has the Helvetica arrowyness in G and overall many similar letters

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And as Philip Regan already pointed out:

• slightly wider, except a
• x-height slightly lower
• wider tracking
• overall more modern, especially the distinct G and Q
• counters in C and c are more open

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Both have the same Helveticy firmness in the capital letters. Both also come in different flavours.

Answer 2

Try Lucida Sans and Verdana - Verdana looks better in small sizes. They're both pretty neat as they don't stick together too much and are easy to read. I don't think they seem Helvetica clones in any way tho' - I'd have to grab my typographers manual for that but I have no idea where I put it ;D

Answer 3

I like Myriad, and I've been using it a lot lately in my layouts. It is what Apple is currently using for all of its header text in their branding, and by casual observation I see it a lot in advertising in the UK.

I think it offers the same readability and clean style as Helvetica, but with a bit of character that is more restrained than some of the others you mention in your question so it doesn't stand out too much. A good Myriad font will also offer nearly as many weights as Helvetica, so it has a lot of versatility.

UPDATE: I did a quick web search (slow morning) and came across an good article full of Helvetica alternatives that reminded me of some excellent alternatives that we use in my company's books all the time:

Univers:

Franklin Gothic (I see this a lot in newspapers):

Interstate (It has character, but is still very neutral in tone):

Now I'm a little disconcerted that I forgot about these.

Answer 4

There's a few hints, but not a lot of information in your question as to why you're wanting a Helvetica-like typeface but not Helvetica. You want something "generic" looking? But yet you want type aficionados to wonder what you chose? Sounds like conflicting goals. But nothing too geometric and friendly…

I'm going to go with the "ubiquitous" look. News Gothic is a classic used for much of the early 20th century in advertising, newspaper and magazine publishing, etc. It's more compact than Helvetica but I think that's an advantage when making a poster. You'll probably want to use the bold version to look sufficiently Helvetica-ish.

News Gothic Bold was used in ABBA's distinctive logo:

Answer 5

Helvetica's closest cousins would include:

• Helvetica Neue
• Nimus Sans
• Akzidenz-Grotesk (this one is maybe more of an uncle)

FontShop has a nice article listing several relatives from their offerings:

http://fontfeed.com/archives/helvetica-and-alternatives-to-helvetica/