Schwartz lists a litany of Helvetica sins. 'Helvetica has existed in digital form since digital typesetting was invented,' he says, 'but nobody has ever gone back to the original typeface as it existed as handset metal type and tried to recreate that.' What's more, the original design of Neue Haas Grotesk for handset metal has been compromised several times since it was first renamed Helvetica. Since Helvetica has never completely fallen out of favor, Schwartz's version is more restoration than revival. In those days tight spacing was a relatively new idea.'

From what I can tell from his notes, Eduard Hoffmann, the art director at the Haas Typefoundry, who in 1957 developed the face with Max Miedinger, considered very tight spacing to be the key to this face.

'Most importantly the spacing is tighter in the Display size. So what is the benefit of this version compared to others? 'The curves are smoother, for one thing,' Schwartz says. It also includes subtle improvements for text sizes, like ink traps, which keep M or W from clogging in text but look awkward and strange in a headline.'ДЄnyone who knows Helvetica is aware that it is meant to have no quirks or eccentricities. But a proper Medium has the opposite problem. In addition to having much looser spacing, Schwartz says, 'Neue Haas Grotesk text has a significantly different weight range from the headline version, as a proper Regular for display looks too light as text. Neue Haas Grotesk, the original name for Helvetica, was initially produced for typesetting by hand in a range of sizes from 5 to 72 points, but Schwartz notes, 'the digital Helvetica has always been one-size-fits-all, which leads to unfortunate compromises.' 'The biggest difference,' Schwartz explains, 'is that I made separate versions for text and display, which allowed each to do what they need to do in order to work best at their respective sizes without becoming clogged and spotty in texture at text sizes, or overly loose at larger sizes.' For the non-type person who may be reading this, this is not the equivalent of angels on the head of a pin. So why is this Helvetica different from any other? Originally made for The Guardian in London, as part of its 2005 redesign, it was rejected but found new life in the redesign of Bloomberg Businessweek last year. Christian Schwartz, a partner in the type foundry Commercial Type, is steadfastly an Helveticaphile and on June 7 his restoration of the original Helvetica, 'Neue Haas Grotesque,' will be released by Monotype Imaging. One cannot be neutral about this neutral typeface. In which camp are you? Those who cannot get enough Helvetica, the world's most famous sans serif font, or those who have had more than enough.

Die neue haas grotesk