Arial or Helvetica – Do you spot the difference? - Pimp my Type (2024)
Among many designers one is loved the other one is despised. But is there really such a big difference between Arial and Helvetica? And does it really matter? I argue it does not and both are overused.
Arial, designed in 1982, has a rather bad reputation. It’s a typeface everybody knows, and it feels very default. Mostly because it’s the fallback sans-serif in Windows browsers. It also was the standard text typeface in MS Office until 2007. And when I studied graphic design in the mid 2000s, it had a bad reputation among my designer peers as being the “Helvetica copycat”.
Back then we did not go deeper, because Helvetica, the widely known and spread classic, that even has its own movie, was based on another typeface too. Designed in 1957, its mission was to reach the success of Akzidenz Grotesk (or AG), which was the first sans-serif typeface to be widely used and dates back to 1896 (imagine that!). The mission was accomplished, since many people don’t badmouth Helvetica as the “AG rip-off”.
But do you see the difference between Helvetica and Arial? Is one good and the other one bad? Both have the same metrics, which means the characters need the same space, but Helvetica has a more rectangular feel to it, Arial is comparably a bit softer. Helvetica has some more stylish features (like the tail at the a) and horizontal stroke endings (like at the c) and Arial has more open shapes (which makes it easier to read in small sizes). These differences are more visible at larger sizes, in small sizes they kind of disappear.
Now knowing this, what does it help you with? Yes, you can impress your designer friends – which definitely has some value – but how does it help you to better convey your message, find a proper typeface for it? I’d argue it does not. Helvetica and Arial are both widely used, which is their downside. Since they are so ubiquitous, they feel like a default, feel undesigned, and the distinctness of your message gets lost with this. If you want to stay in the same style, my advice is to use a different typeface, like the more contemporary Aktiv Grotesk, or the much more legible Public Sans as a free alternative.
And there’s another thing. Akzidenz Grotesk was made for commercial prints like publicity, tickets and forms (anything except books) in the early 1900s. Helvetica was deigned for high resolution offset printing in den late 1950s, and Arial was designed for low resolution print and screen display int the early 1980s. They all had their purpose and time. So to ask if it’s a good or bad typeface would be wrong questions. You should ask yourself if it’s a good or bad typeface for your desired application. And then you should ask yourself if it’s a good typeface to make you stand out. The answer is Arial and Helvetica are not.
How do you feel about this? Leave it in the comments! And if you want to dive more into both typeface’s history, I recommend this article by Ilene Strizver.
Helvetica has a more rectangular appearance and horizontal stroke endings. Arial has more open shapes (C, e) and a diagonal leg at the r and the a has no tail.
Arial is the more rounded typeface of the two, with softer, fuller curves and open counters. In contrast to the Helvetica typeface, Arial has an overall less elegant feel and a blander appearance. It also has a diagonal terminal on the t as well as the numeral 1, and a curved tail on the capital Q.
Arial: A popular and safe choice for a modern sans serif font, Arial is applauded for clean lines and good legibility. But some say Arial is little more than a modification of Helvetica and may soon become a victim of its own success by virtue of being too common.
Its neutral character allows it to harmoniously blend with various design elements and convey a wide range of messages. Whether used in logos, signage, packaging, or print media, Helvetica offers an unmatched universality that transcends cultural and linguistic barriers.
In Arial, the tail flows down and to the right from near the center of the horizontal bar and straightens out at an angle to the end. It appears to be a compromise between the Helvetica “R” and the Grotesque “R.” This feature is very unusual for a “grotesque” design, and is more typical of “humanist” sans serifs.
A: Arial was designed as a typeface that copies some of Helvetica's proportions and stroke characteristics, but it is not an exact replica of Helvetica.
Arial. Arial was once the default Microsoft Word font, but the company replaced it in Office 2007 with Calibri. This font is okay for internally disseminated printed materials, but because of its overuse, Arial is a terrible choice for company branding and marketing materials.
Font - the default font that comes with MS Word (currently Calibri) is fine for academic work. You may see persistent advice in handbooks that suggests you should use Times New Roman or Arial. If you prefer these, you can change it - but this is no longer a requirement. Font size - fonts should be 11 or 12 point.
In the image below you can see that at small sizes, some of the letter combinations of Helvetica become disastrous both in terms of legibility and readability. Clearly, Helvetica is not a great typeface for body text. In fact, with its closed aperture (closed letterforms), it's quite a horrendous choice for body text.
The digital Helvetica (particularly Neue Helvetica) that we know today is not great for text or user interface. Its tight spacing, uniformity, and relative lack of rhythm and contrast pose significant readability and legibility issues in these kinds of settings.
Since the 1950s, designers have been choosing Helvetica, because it is assumed to be a “neutral” design. Over 40 companies are using the font because of its clarity and uniformed lettering.
Arial's ubiquity makes it familiar to most web users and is, therefore, one of the easiest-to-read fonts. Arial is also a web-safe font, which increases the likelihood that your website's content will look the same to all readers.
Overview. A contemporary sans serif design, Arial contains more humanist characteristics than many of its predecessors and as such is more in tune with the mood of the last decades of the twentieth century. The overall treatment of curves is softer and fuller than in most industrial style sans serif faces.
Pair Arial Regular with Arial Bold or Arial Black. Also, combine it with tighter kerning from hack #1 for a more compacted look. This is an easy trick that's great for emphasizing a few words in a headline while creating a unique look.
Weight. The example of Helvetica Neue shows how fonts can be different by virtue of their weights, even when the typeface is the same. That is, Helvetica Neue 12 pt Light is a different font from Helvetica Neue 12 pt Bold, with the latter having incrementally thicker strokes.
Overview. A contemporary sans serif design, Arial contains more humanist characteristics than many of its predecessors and as such is more in tune with the mood of the last decades of the twentieth century. The overall treatment of curves is softer and fuller than in most industrial style sans serif faces.
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