San Francisco is a neo-grotesque typeface developed in 2014 by Apple for use in Apple Watch, then expanded to use in both iOS and macOS. It was designed exclusively for the digital environment, and replaced Helvetica Neue which had served in the interim between Lucida Grande and San Francisco. It performs very highly in small screen environments due to the unique shape and features of every letter (a problem which plagued Helvetica).
Roboto was designed by Google in 2011 for exclusive use on Android software (with use ranging from phones to TVs and car infotainment systems). Its high x-height and condensed form make it ideal for small screen environments like phones and watches. It performs well in the space it was built for, and although Google describes it as "modern, approachable" and "emotional", some have criticised its military-esque stern-ness. Even a redesign in 2014 failed to make it more friendly.
Helvetica had a short stint on macOS and iOS, which was fine for users who had already adopted a device with a Retina display, but for those with lower resolutions devices it proved very difficult to decipher words at small sizes, particularly in areas of the system where the Light variant of the face was used. In the words of Erik Spiekermann: "Helvetica sucks. It really wasn’t designed for small sizes on screens. Words like ‘milliliter’ can be very difficult to decipher.”
No comments:
Post a Comment