AVENIR A MODS ERN TAKE ON A MODERN CLASSIC ʼ was designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1988. It was inspired by early geometric sans-serifs from the 1920s, most notably ʻFuturaʼ designed by Paul Renner. These Avenir early geometric sans-serifs emerged during a time of great flux as cityʼs and global communication grew at a rapid pace. The early designers tried to express this ʻmodern- ismʼ in type design through removing ornamentation or atheistic flourishes and reducing type down to simple geometric units. Avenir is rooted in this 1920s design ideology though differs from its predecessors like Futura by being more ʻhumanistʼ according to Frutiger. Although relatively new, ʻAvenirʼ is widely used today, including as the principal typeface for the City of Amsterdamʼs corporate identity. Geometric sans-serifs like Avenir generally have a circular ʻoʼ with a vertical axis and a large x-height. They have an almost entirely unmodulated stroke and letter forms have typically been simplified and are without ornamentation. Sources: Wikipedia.com, Fontshop.com, Karakreative.com & Viget.com CONNOTATIVE IDEAS Review your research and consider the connotations of your typeface. What feelings, mood, time period, and ideas does it conjure up? If your typeface were a person, what kind of personality would it have? Jot down some of these ideas as a few sentences in the space below. When I think of 'avenir', I see a concept of the future as foreseen in 1920s constructivist design. I think of cool, monochrome colours and clean, straight lines along with simple geometric forms. Space and space travel also come to mind along with a sense of dynamism, energy and movement. 'Avenir's' personality would be cool, but piercing. .