Univers is a large sans-serif typeface family designed by Adrian Frutiger and released by his employer Deberny & Peignot in 1957. Classified as a neo-grotesque sans-serif, one based on the model of nineteenth-century German typefaces such as Akzidenz-Grotesk, it was notable for its availability from the moment of its launch in a comprehensive range of weights and widths. The original marketing for Univers deliberately referenced the periodic table to emphasise its scope.
Rémy Peignot's Univers graphic emphasised the family's scope through referencing the periodic table.
Keycaps featuring Univers from a pre-2003 PowerBook G4
Univers 57 (Condensed Regular) in use in the Latin text at Athens Airport
Audi Sans, a variation of Univers used in the dashboard graphics of an Audi A3 instrument panel
In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than serif typefaces. They are often used to convey simplicity and modernity or minimalism. For the purposes of type classification, sans-serif designs are usually divided into these major groups: § Grotesque and § Neo-grotesque, § Geometric, § Humanist and § Other or mixed.
Rothbury, an early modulated sans-serif typeface from 1915. The strokes vary in width considerably.
Sans-serif letterforms in ancient Etruscan on the Cippus Perusinus
Roman square capitals, the inspiration for serif letters
A 12th-century Medieval Latin inscription in Italy featuring sans-serif capitals