Adrian Frutiger | Hoefler & Frere-Jones

FROM PAR

IS to NEW YORK

5

Typeface designers and typography play an impor-

tant roll in our everyday lives. Whether we realize

it or not, typography is taking form all around us.

Whether you are in Paris or New York, you will see

typography everywhere, uniting, guiding you, mak-

ing you think and feel differently,

as well as helping you to communi-

cate, whether that be in a foreign

land or your own city. Like a solo

traveler in the world, the typogra-

pher has to guide us in perfect har-

mony so our communication with

one another is harmonious. For my

part, I have taken a brief journey

to learn about a few typographers I found to be

compelling: Adrian Frutiger, Tobias Frere-Jones and

his partner Jonathan Hoefler. These typographers

share the trait that they are all aiming for balance

and proportion in their designs. This allows their

work to unite and come together.

Let them unite

“I could never express myself only through words,

without using my hands and tools of my trade.”

Taking an adventure in the world of two typographers

2

- Frere Jones

However, this label of “type face designer” does not

mean that they have everything in common. Though

all master craftsmen, they come from different back-

grounds and different period

of time of inspiration. The influ-

ences of Swiss Style Typography

and calligraphy played a large

role in inspiring the works of

Adrian Frutiger, who grew in

the breath of the past masters

of the Bauhaus and de Stijl. We

will also find that the inspira-

tion of the newer generation,

Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias

Frère-Jones were inspired by their surroundings as

well, which for them was not the found in the foot-

hills of the Swiss Alps, but instead New York City.

“I wanted to experi-enced the power of type to make the whole intel-lectual world readable

with the same letters in the days of metal.”

][ 21st Century 20th Century

- Frere Jones

a3

]We find that in typography, history plays a pivotal

role in inspiration. We can be original, but it is neces-

sary to learn from our predecessors, as did many

other artists. We look to other movements to be

inspired or to avoid their pitfalls and errors. Adrian

Frutiger is one of these typographers we look to for-

ever for inspiration. A timeless typographer, Adrian

Frutiger was born near the Swiss Alps and artistically

trained in Interlake in 1944-48. Adrian Frutiger grew

interested in the work of writer and teacher Ernst

Eberhart, “preferring to emulate his freer method

of handwriting as well as woodcut.” (Monotype

website) Experimenting with the way to create type,

“Frutiger cut his pen down to a broad nib and made

his letterforms open anround.” Frutiger eventually

moved to France where he spent most of his career.

Adrian Frutiger would be considered to be a part of

the International typographic style time period.

Frutiger’s self-titled face, Frutiger, was de-

veloped from his let-tering for the Charles

de Gaulle Airport.” (Spiekermann)

a“modern appearance and legibility at various angles and sizes.”-Frutiger

ADRIAN FRUTIGER

3 4

For Hoefler Frere Jones , the past maybe history, but the influence

and the knowledge of those times carry forth in their works today.

Typefaces are continually influencing our works and expressions.

For Tobias Frere Jones, he said that “you have to create a fint that

conveys a feeling or emotion.” These ideas are invariably coupled

with a beautiful timeline of artistic and typographic inspirations. This

is the case for Tobias Frere Jones and Jonathan Hoefler, contemporary

typeface designers both born in the 1970’s in New York City, where

they still reside today. Together, Tobias Frere-Jones and fellow type

designer Jonathan Hoefler founded Hoefler & Frere-Jones, a type

foundry in lower Manhattan. Since working together, the two have

collaborated on projects for The Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart

Living, Nike, Pentagram, GQ.

H&

FJ

Hoefler Text family of typefaces, designed for Apple Computer and now appearing as part of the Macintosh operating system.

Both are influenced with the world around them. The

past maybe history, but the influence and the knowl-

edge of those times carry forth today, continually

influencing our works and expressions. These ideas are

invariably coupled with a beautiful timeline of artistic

and typographic inspirations. This is the case for Tobias

Frere Jones and Jonathan Hoefler, contemporary type-

face designers both born in the 1970’s in New York City.

“You have to create a font that conveys a feeling.” Frere-Jones

5

From the past to the present as said before the influ-

ence is continuous. New York and Paris have a long

history of typefaces. From printing during the World

War II to glowing signage on the building of New York

city we have learned as graphic designers that these

forms come with history from the

past. Whether from Paris or Asia,

we are inspired endlessly with the

type world around us. We cannot

escape it, we should embrace it as

Hoefler & Frere- Jones did. Tobias

Frere Jones said that with the

influence of the past, “typogra-

phy captures the essence of the

language arounf us. Whether in

a foreign land or at home, you

cannot escape it.” When you

travel from the center of Paris to

the Charles de Gaulle airport, you have typefaces that

you must follow to get to the correct airport. Thanks

to Frutiger, these legible typefaces exist. Frutiger is our

journey from the center to the departure of France.

Frutiger created a typeface that was not only legible

but also beautiful in shape and essence.

History, inspiration & Passion

From the PastReflections

“Typography captures the essence of the language around us. Whether in a

foreign land or at home you cannot escape it.”

-Frere-Jones

6

Hoefler & Frere Jones like Frutiger were revolution-

izing the type around them. Inspired by the building

and typefaces they saw on them in New York city. They

revolutionized the way we see type on

computers as well. Taking in the breaths

of the past typeface designers, Hoefler &

Frere Jones created a craftsmanship with

their typefaces unlike any other type-

face designer in the 21st century. They

still stayed in tune with the traditional

techniques and processes as the older

generation of typeface designers did sch

as Adrian Frutiger. One of these typefaces

is Hoefler Text. Hoefler Text is a contemporary serif

Antiqua font that was made for the computer, but

mimics the past techniques. This font gave computer

fonts a new meaning in a more complex typographic

rendering. This beautifully devloped font family was

Inspired by the seventeenth century baroque types

of Jean Jannon and Nicholas Kis. Though we are in

the 21st century the past should always be vital in the

creation of typefaces.

Paris 1952New York 2012

“Hoefler Text is a com-prehensive family of typefaces from the

dawn of the digital age.”

][

-New york Times

7

New York 2012]We learn that in history, wherever you are, your art will

be influenced by what is happening around you. The

artist De Stijl is influenced from Constructivism, influ-

enced by Futurism, influenced by Cubism and so on.

Accordingly, nationality plays an important role in the

lives of artist in shaping who they are and how they are

influenced. Whether it is a war effecting you or planes

crashing into the twin towers, we grow up in a world

that inspires and influences us. Our native language

and our native land is never something forgotten and it

brings uniqueness to our individual approach to art.

We learn that in history, wherever you are, your art

will be influenced by what is happening around you.

The artist De Stijl is influenced from Constructivism,

influenced by Futurism, influenced by Cubism and so

on. Accordingly, nationality plays an important role in

the lives of artist in shaping who they are and how they

are influenced.

Origins give our creativity

and originality strength and

personality to our art work.

Without origins we our artistic

identity is in danger.

Sswiss In

tern

atio

na

l style

in th

e 1

94

0’s

“The Diversity in typefaces is the same diversity we find in wine. I once saw a list of Medoc wines featuring 60 different Me-docs all of the same year.” -Frutiger

7 8

Frutiger finds himself inspired by signage and

signs, which we later see in the highways of

Europe and at the Charles de Gaulle airport

in Paris. A citizen of Europe, there is constant

exposure to a diversity of signs while one eas-

ily passes from one border to the next, maybe

visiting three different countries in a day.

Signs are important to Europeans.

The war in Europe changed the way we saw and made art in many ways.

ORI

GIN

Our history brings forth the influence of typography

Adrian Frutuger, a Swiss native, grew up during the tumultuous

and devastating years of WWII. The aftermath of WWII created a

defining reaction within the arts such as a new type of expression:

abstract expressionism. While artists such as Pollock were splat-

tering away on the canvas, Frutiger was designing in the Swiss

Style, which emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity.

Frutiger’s typeface, inspired by this Swiss Style, is seen in both

Avenir and Universe. Like Helvetica, Frutiger is a clean and legible

font. Like many of his typefaces, they all have distinctive person-

alities. Adrian Frutiger once said that “ the diversity in typefaxes

is the same diversity we find in wine. I once saw a list of Medoc

wines featuring 60 different Medocs all of the same year.”

9

The inspiration in this city is endless

In contrast, Hoefler and Frere-Jones are both

Americans who grew up in NYC in the 1970’s

and 1980’s. Growing up in the city that never

sleeps had an obvious influence on the works of

Hoefler and Frere-Jones, especially in the type face

Gotham. Tobias Frere-Jones had 30 spots in New

York where he is inspired

by the lettering. This

reflects the admiration

and inspiration of their

surroundings. New York

never breaks. In New York

City, there is continuous

skyline, restaurants, and

shops, the inspiration here

is endless. The inspiration

of Hoefler and Frere-

Jones was a direct reflection of just that.With

this admiration of the city and architecture and

lettering surrounding them, Tobias Frere-Jones

also singled out signage that inspired his 2000

typeface, Gotham.

“We drew influences from post-war building signage and hand-painted letters

seen around New York City.” -Tobias Frere-Jones

Typography in the cities

10

Type face designers and typography play an important

roll in our everyday lives. Whether we realize it or not,

typography is taking form all around us. Whether you are

in Paris or New York, you will see typography everywhere,

guiding you, making you think and

feel differently, as well as helping you

to communicate, whether that be in a

foreign land or your own city. Like a

solo traveler in the world, the typog-

rapher has to guide us in perfect har-

mony so our communication with one

another is harmonious. For my part,

I have taken a brief journey to learn

about a few typographers I found to

be compelling: Adrian Frutiger, Tobias

Frere-Jones and his partner Jonathan Hoefler. These typog-

raphers share the trait that they are all aiming for balance

and proportion in their designs.

Using the seemingly plain, geometric

lettering from New York’s Port Authority

Bus Terminal.-Frutiger

Paris 1952New York 2012 ][

11

] Typefaces play an important role in the visual world around us,

aesthetically and practically. They influence what we see and

how we interpret it. Typefaces show feelings and movements.

They display personalities. Both Frutiger and Hoefler & Frere-

Jones have created unique typefaces depicting both what was

happening technologically, politically, and artistically.

In the early 1970s, the RATP, the public transport authority

of Paris, asked Adrian Frutiger to examine the Paris Metro

signage. “He created a Univers font variation – a set of capitals

and numbers specifically for white-on-dark-blue backgrounds

in poor light.” (Typophile) Typefaces play an important role in

the visual world around us, aesthetically and practically. They

influence what we see and how we interpret it. Typefaces

show feelings and movements. They display personalities.

Both Frutiger and Hoefler & Frere-Jones have created unique

typefaces depicting both what was happening technologically,

politically, and artistically. In the early 1970s, the RATP, the

public transport authority of Paris, asked Adrian Frutiger to

examine the Paris Metro signage. “He created a Univers font

variation – a set of capitals and numbers specifically for white-

on-dark-blue backgrounds in poor light.” (Typophile)

Typ

efa

ces a

nd

the

ir role

in o

ur e

ve

ryd

ay

live

s

TFrutiger gave the French signage” alphabet for the new Charles de Gaulle Interna-tional Airport.”

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Developing their unique voice through typography

For Hoefler and Frere-Jones, Gotham was designed in 2000 and

is famously know for its use in the Obama campaign. Gotham’s

letterforms are inspired by a form of architectural signage that

achieved popularity in the mid-twentieth century, and are especial-

ly popular throughout New York City. Espousing a no-nonsense,

utilitarian attitude, Hoefler & Frere-Jones describe Gotham as “a

typeface that is friendly without being folksy, confident without

being aloof.” Gotham garnered national press when it was chosen

as the official typeface for inscribing the Freedom Tower, which

was to be built at the site of the World Trade Center. Hoefler Text,

designed by Jonathan Hoefler in 1995, is a family of twenty-seven

typefaces. They range from light to extra bold.ARC

HER

H&FJonesArcher-Gotham-Requiem-Hoefler Text, Didot are all timeless typefaces used today.

This elegant humanistic font with a moderate x-height

and lovely decorative elements was commissioned by Apple

Computer and is distributed with the Mac OS. According to

Hoefler & Frere-Jones, the font is “steeped in the virtues of

classical book typography.” (Hoefler & Frere-Jones)

13

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Technology also plays an important role in our

history and evolution. With the evolotion of the

computer, the world of type has changed. Frutiger,

a more conventional typographer, was influenced

by invented scripts, stylized handwriting, sculp-

ture, monumental inscriptions,

and calligraphy. Frutiger, was a

craftsman, inspired by the tac-

tile labor of the perseverance,

whether using woodcut or

paper silhouettes. For Frutiger,

the intensive labor required was

the thrill of the work. It was

a physical and tactile labor of

love, one that remains relevant

today. Spending most of his career working for De-

berny & Peignot updating typefaces and preparing

them for photo-typesetting, as well as designing

typefaces of his own accord, he created almost

30 typefaces, which are some of the most used

typefaces of the 20th and 21st century.

Handwriting & the

Technology and the role it plays in typography

computer

“Frutiger, was a craftsman, inspired by the tactile labor of the

perseverance.”- Adrian Frutiger

14

Unlike Frutiger though, Hoefler and Frere Jones

grew up during a period of evolving technol-

ogy, with the evolution of personal comput-

ers and digital and

computer arts. With

the advent of the first

personal computer,

there was the birth

of the Macintosh,

ultimately changing

forever almost every as-

pect of the way we live,

work, create, communicate, innovate, share

information, and spend our leisure time. As

computers have evolved, so have the capabili-

ties for the graphic designer. Whereas Frutiger

labored through what were most likely years

of woodwork and paper cutting, Hoefler &

Jones operate in a land of mouse clicks and key

strokes, which allow for mistakes to be easily

corrected, manipulated, and perfected. Perhaps

his best-known work is the Hoefler Text family

of typefaces, designed for Apple Computer and

now appearing as part of the Macintosh oper

“The Evolution of the personal computers the changed the way we

look at type.” -H & FJ

Gutenberg Macintosh][

15

]

In conclusion, there are definitive lessons to be

drawn. The past gave great skills to the typographers

today, and you can still see signs of their presence in

many forms of typographic creation. Frutiger created

typefaces such as Frutiger, which waould stand the

test of time, and, though decades removed, Hoefler &

Jones are following a similar path with fonts such as

Gotham. In the end, all three have left a strong influ-

ence and strong communication with the world. From

New York, to Paris, their history and typefaces are

now all around you from Paris to New York. just open

your eyes, take a look, take your time.and appreciate

the art that goes into the typefaces all around you.

These are artists exemplify two

completely dif-ferent expres-sions, yet both

are changing the world around us.

“ to pass on what I had learned and achieved T “The day we stop needing new type will be the same day that we stop needing new

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- Adrian Frutiger

Frere-Jonesstories and new songs.”

to the next generation became a necessity.”

17

- Adrian Frutiger

Designer: Annie Harrod

Typefaces: OCR, Frutiger, Gotham, Archer

Course: Typography

Faculty: Francheska Guerrero

Colophonty

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ok

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