1980 TECHNOLOGY

This project reviews the history of technological innovation through the Avenir typeface in the 1980s.

My Role

Background Research, Web Design, Prototype

Timeline

02/2021 – 04/2021

Why Pick This Idea
BACKGROUND

Avenir is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1987 and released in 1988 by the American company Linotype GmbH.

The word Avenir means “future” in French and refers to the similarity to the Futura family (1927).

Designer Biography
  • Adrian Johann Frutiger (1928-2015) was a Swiss typeface designer.
  • His typeface designs influenced type design in the second half of the 20th century.
  • The most remarkable and classical typeface designs are Univers, Frutiger, and Avenir.
Avenir Style & Usage
  • Avenir is described as geometric. However, unlike Futura, Avenir is not purely geometric. It reflects modern typographical trends.
  • Frutiger shortened the ascenders and made vertical strokes thicker than the horizontals. The refinements increase the legibility of Avenir.
  • The modern and harmonious appearance allows Avenir to be used on body text and headlines.
  • Avenir has become very popular in web design, print, identity, and environmental graphic design.
Period & Location

The nature of what we think of as the modern age stems from digital technology that started in the 1980s. Take a trip back to the time of the most influential inventions from this era.

Moodboard
Style Guide
Primary Color
Secondary Color
Neutral Color
Typeface
Icons & Buttons
Sitemap

The main style of the Timeline website echoes the geometric elements that characterize the typeface Avenir.

I designed various geometric patterns to highlight different eras of the invention to echo the geometric style of the typeface Avenir.

For color palette, I selected some colorful but not saturated colors in order to relate to the retro style of the 80s.

Wireframes
Final Design
Project Takeaways

My biggest takeaway from this project was learning about the use of fonts in web design. I learned about the history of web fonts, traditional type foundries, anti-aliasing features, and standard font sizes.

I gained a deep understanding of font size variations for different screens and proportions. In addition, my awareness of font design for editorial layout, text structure, and body settings has increased.

I have developed the idea of keeping consistency and echoing context in web design. After detailed research, I decided to design various geometric patterns to highlight different eras of the invention to echo the geometric style of the typeface Avenir. I also chose a less saturated but colorful color palette to reflect the retro style of the 80s.

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