Neutraface#Styles

Neutraface was designed by Christian Schwartz over the period of a year with assistance in art direction from Ken Barber and Andy Cruz.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/neutra.shtml|title=Neutraface|authorlink=Christian Schwartz|last=Schwartz|first=Christian|publisher=www.christianschwartz.com|access-date=October 2, 2011}}{{cite book|last1=Berry|first1=John D.|title=Dot-font: Talking About Fonts|date=2006|publisher=Mark Batty Publisher|location=New York|isbn=0-9772827-0-8|pages=117–121|edition=1st}} It was the result of a project started by Schwartz to design "the most typographically complete geometric sans serif family ever", based on Richard Neutra's principles of architecture and design.{{cite web|url=http://www.houseind.com/fonts/neutraface/neutrahistory|title=The Neutra Legacy|publisher=House Industries|access-date=October 2, 2011}} The Neutraface alphabet was developed through consultation with Neutra's son and former partner, Dion Neutra, and with reference to the signs on the buildings designed by Neutra. Since there were limited samples of Neutra's signage and no lowercase, much of the design was Schwartz's invention. The lowercase was influenced by Avenir, Futura, Nobel and Tempo.

Although Neutraface was conceived as a display and headline typeface, Neutraface Text was created to complement Neutraface Display. Neutraface Text has a larger x-height than its display counterpart and increased stroke contrast.

File:Neutraface Blocks!.jpg

Neutraface was originally released with Display and Text styles. Additional weights have been released.

• Neutraface Condensed is an adaptation of Neutraface with a condensed width that Schwartz began to develop as soon as he and his colleagues realized how popular the original series was. It was released by House Industries in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/neutracond.shtml|title=Neutraface Condensed|authorlink=Christian Schwartz|last=Schwartz|first=Christian|publisher=www.christianschwartz.com|access-date=October 2, 2011}}
• Neutraface No. 2 is a revision of Neutraface made by Schwartz in response to what he perceived to be a demand for a "more 'normal' Neutraface". It is described by Schwartz as a "director's cut" of the original typeface, with the main change being its raised crossbars, reducing the eccentricity of the design and increasing its suitability for body text. Neutraface No. 2 was released by House Industries in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/neutra2.shtml|title=Neutraface No. 2|authorlink=Christian Schwartz|last=Schwartz|first=Christian|publisher=www.christianschwartz.com|access-date=October 2, 2011}} The family also included an inline face.{{cite web|last1=Coles|first1=Stephen|title=Farewell Futura, Hello Neutraface No. 2|url=https://typographica.org/on-typography/farewell-futura-hello-neutraface-no-2/|website=Typographica|access-date=17 November 2017}}
• Neutraface Slab is a derivative of Neutraface in a slab serif style, following the style of geometric slab-serif popular in the interwar period. The concept originated as a joke but when Schwartz proposed the idea to House Industries, they convinced him to follow through with the concept. The development of Neutraface Slab by Schwartz, Kai Bernau and Susana Carvalho began in 2005 and it was released by House Industries in 2009 in both text and display weights.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/neutraslab.shtml|title=Neutraface Slab|authorlink=Christian Schwartz|last=Schwartz|first=Christian|publisher=www.christianschwartz.com|access-date=October 2, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.houseind.com/fonts/neutrafaceslab|title=Neutraface Slab|publisher=House Industries|access-date=October 2, 2011}}

File: Shake Shack logo (22157549109).jpg.]]

Neutraface is very widely used, and Schwartz has commented, "I can't leave my apartment without running into an ad for a new condo development using it, or a restaurant, or a new cookbook."{{cite web |last1=Makalintal |first1=Bettina |title=A Deep Dive Into the 'Gentrification Font' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gentrification-font-meme-neutraface/ |website=Vice |access-date=13 September 2020}} Some examples of the usage of Neutraface are in the signage for the New York City Shake Shack chain,{{cite web|url=http://www.houseind.com/fonts/sightings/shakeshack|title=Sightings: Shake Shack|publisher=House Industries|access-date=October 2, 2011}} book covers for Taschen's Movie Icons series,{{cite web|url=http://www.houseind.com/fonts/sightings/mcqueen|title=Sightings: McQueen|publisher=House Industries|access-date=October 2, 2011}} advertising material for Wendy's fast food restaurants, and posters for movies. For example, it was used for the title of the 2005 remake of House of Wax,{{cite web|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/House_Of_Wax_movie_poster.jpg/220px-House_Of_Wax_movie_poster.jpg|title=House of Wax(2005)|date=May 6, 2005|access-date=April 2, 2020}} and 2008 film Quantum of Solace.{{cite web|url=http://blog.threestepsahead.com/rants/neutraface-is-the-new-helvetica/|date=March 25, 2009|title=Neutraface is the new Helvetica|last=Korwin|first=Josh|publisher=threestepsahead.com|access-date=October 2, 2011}} Neutraface was also used in both the intro and outro of the 2005 film Robots. Rite Aid's new logo since 2020 uses Neutraface. Neutraface is the official font of the University of Minnesota.{{Cite web |title=Colors and Type |url=https://university-relations.umn.edu/resources/colors-and-type |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=University Relations |language=en}} The font has been called the "gentrification font" for its use in house numbers on new midcenturyesque housing developments.[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/27/richard-neutras-architectural-vanishing-act Richard Neutra’s Architectural Vanishing Act] by Alex Ross, The New Yorker. September 20, 2021. Accessed January 12, 2021. "Those with more limited resources can settle for house numbers executed in Neutraface, a sans-serif font based on the architect’s favored lettering. Sometimes called the “gentrification font,” it adorns countless neo-mid-century developments."

Neutraface was also the subject of a parody video of Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" on YouTube, titled "Neutra Face: An Ode On A Typeface".{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/09/neutra-face-font-fanatics_n_385014.html|date=December 9, 2009|title=Neutra Face: Font Fanatics Do "Poker Face"|first=Dan|last=Abramson|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=October 2, 2011}}

Asked why Neutraface became popular, Schwartz commented "I guess it was just normal enough and just different enough...a House font that you could buy and your boss would let you use. There’s only so much you could do with the Rat Fink fonts."{{cite web |last1=Palmieri |first1=Chris |title=Christian Schwartz on Type Design |url=http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2008/03/christian-schwartz-on-type-design.html |website=Tokyo Art Beat |access-date=8 September 2020}}

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• {{cite news |last1=Garza |first1=Frida |title=The gentrification font: how a sleek typeface became a neighborhood omen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/16/neutraface-font-gentrification |access-date=2023-04-14 |work=The Guardian |date=2023-05-16}}

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• [http://www.houseind.com/fonts/neutraface Neutraface] at House Industries
• [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/blueprint-for-living-separate-stories/id1648629289?i=1000682615164 Blueprint For Living] podcast, ABC Radio Australia.

Category:Typefaces and fonts introduced in 2002

Category:Geometric sans-serif typefaces

Category:Typefaces designed by Christian Schwartz

Category:Typefaces with text figures

Category:Typefaces with optical sizes

Category:Unified serif and sans-serif typeface families