Three of the all-time favourite fonts

HELVETICA

It was in 1956 when a Swiss typesetter Max Miedinger was asked by the Hass Type Foundry to design a news sans-serif typeface that was based on an earlier typeface called Akzidenz-Grotesk.

The result, Haas-Grotesk, which was introduced in 1957. The elegant lines of the font gave it instant popularity. Three years later, the font was renamed as Helvetica, which is the Latin word for Swiss so it would have international appeal.

Helvetica has gone on to become one of the most popular typefaces in the world. Type: Sans serif

TIMES NEW ROMAN

The criticism of a newspaper’s (The Times of London) print type and the difficulty in reading it led to the birth of this font.

In 1929, typographer Stanley Morgan designed a font that was drawn by an advertising agent and came to be known as Times New Roman. It was also then called Times Roman and this variation continues to prevail.

It has become one of the most used typefaces around the world. Type: Serif

Bodoni

One of the most celebrated names in Italian typography, Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813), gave the world this font. According to him, a good typeface required some necessary qualities; it must be highly legible, reflect simplicity and be beautiful to perceive. The font has been frequently revived since. Bodoni is considered to be among the most elegant typefaces ever designed. Type: Serif