So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica? • Hacker News Board

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#121

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 7:48 PM UTC

SeoxyS wrote: post #119

rexreed wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree that lower case is trivial due to the level terminal edges in Helvetica. For uppercase, the tip offs are the following: * The capital A in Helvetica is narrower (more isoceles and less equilateral) * The capital G has an extra hatch on the right side (looks like an arrow and not an L) * The capital R does not have a straight leg in Helvetica * Conversely, arial chooses a non-straight hatch mark for the Q wherea…

The perfectly round Os in toyota are the giveaways. I got them all correctly, except for MATTEL for which the only difference is the stroke width; and which I ended up flipping a coin for (incorrectly). That said, I did get a degree in graphic design, so I may not be typical when it comes to this.

[deleted]

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#122

Post by jonathanjaeger » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 8:07 PM UTC

snu wrote: post #120

jonathanjaeger wrote: post #112

Here's something interesting to do with the same test. Instead of guessing which one you think is Helvetica, choose the one you like better. Then see if Helvetica shows up more times than Arial (or vice versa).

Great idea! Personally I had no bias towards either font, but now discovered that I do in fact like Helvetica a bit more (12 out of 20 times). Would be interesting to be able to see a test like that with statistics on how many chose each font for each logo.

Yeah, going into it I didn't know much about the differences between the fonts but was curious anyway. After getting a few wrong I switched to choosing which ones I thought looked nicer and started getting Helvetica more times. That reminds me I need to finish watching the Helvetica documentary.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#123

Post by jinushaun » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 8:14 PM UTC

calinet6 wrote: post #19

Yes, the differences are easy to see, as everyone has said. But the important part is that there's a difference in feel and theme that's not really measurable and identifiable in direct comparison. The subtle difference is far more important than trying to identify the tiny details that don't really matter. And in that sense, this game (while fun and interesting) misses the point.

I didn't even finish the test. They could've picked more ambiguous letters.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#124

Post by svachalek » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 8:46 PM UTC

timr wrote: post #115

rquantz wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that is what he's trying to say. You don't use Arial because it terminates at right angles, you use it because it feels different.

You use it because it's the only option you have under Windows.

I've always heard the Helvetica snobbery (and haven't used Windows much since the 90s) so I was a little surprised to find that in most cases, I found the Arial logo more attractive. Helvetica has a little more "heavy-handed" feel to it which worked for short words in all-caps, but I thought the lighter look of Arial worked better for the rest.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#125

Post by timr » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 8:55 PM UTC

svachalek wrote: post #124

timr wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You use it because it's the only option you have under Windows.

I've always heard the Helvetica snobbery (and haven't used Windows much since the 90s) so I was a little surprised to find that in most cases, I found the Arial logo more attractive. Helvetica has a little more "heavy-handed" feel to it which worked for short words in all-caps, but I thought the lighter look of Arial worked better for the rest.

Horses for courses, but you're in the minority. Helvetica is pretty widely considered a more aesthetically appealing font, especially amongst those who have a lot of points of reference.

It's like art: you develop more sophisticated tastes as you're exposed to better things. It's hard to say this without sounding snobbish, but if all you've seen is Arial, you'll find Arial familiar and comfortable. But the more time you spend looking at good typography, the more Arial will start to hurt your eyes.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#126

Post by pbhjpbhj » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 9:01 PM UTC

I like it.

I couldn't tell at the start and so I guessed based on which logos looked best composed, then I noticed the uniqueness particularly in r and t letter forms.

This actually gave me a new respect Helvetica.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#127

Post by crntaylor » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 9:32 PM UTC

This is silly. I know nothing about the difference between Arial and Helvetica. If anything thought that Helvetica was slightly lighter, so in the first question I guessed at the lighter of the two fonts, which it turns out was Arial. Every question after that I guessed the heavier of the two fonts, and I got a 19/20 score.

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#128

Post by crntaylor » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 9:35 PM UTC

EEGuy wrote: post #107

No typographer nor designer here either, but _subjectively_ speaking: * This test quickly 'clued me in' that a logo should give a "commanding", "authoritative", "brooks no argument" look. Helvetica, yes; Ariel, no: Ariel made some logos look downright self-satirical. * An email client I use has Ariel as its default font. In that (two-way communication) context, where accidental antagonisms can arise, Ariel seems to "…

Not a criticism, but I'm genuinely confused about the persistent misspelling of 'Arial' as 'Ariel'. Is there anyone knowledgeable about this sort of thing who can explain why it's so prevalent?

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#129

Post by mason55 » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 9:38 PM UTC

SeoxyS wrote: post #119

rexreed wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree that lower case is trivial due to the level terminal edges in Helvetica. For uppercase, the tip offs are the following: * The capital A in Helvetica is narrower (more isoceles and less equilateral) * The capital G has an extra hatch on the right side (looks like an arrow and not an L) * The capital R does not have a straight leg in Helvetica * Conversely, arial chooses a non-straight hatch mark for the Q wherea…

The perfectly round Os in toyota are the giveaways. I got them all correctly, except for MATTEL for which the only difference is the stroke width; and which I ended up flipping a coin for (incorrectly). That said, I did get a degree in graphic design, so I may not be typical when it comes to this.

I have a degree in CS and did the exact same thing

Re: So you think you can tell Arial from Helvetica?

#130

Post by kh1411 » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 9:48 PM UTC

crntaylor wrote: post #128

EEGuy wrote: post #107

No typographer nor designer here either, but _subjectively_ speaking: * This test quickly 'clued me in' that a logo should give a "commanding", "authoritative", "brooks no argument" look. Helvetica, yes; Ariel, no: Ariel made some logos look downright self-satirical. * An email client I use has Ariel as its default font. In that (two-way communication) context, where accidental antagonisms can arise, Ariel seems to "…

Not a criticism, but I'm genuinely confused about the persistent misspelling of 'Arial' as 'Ariel'. Is there anyone knowledgeable about this sort of thing who can explain why it's so prevalent?

Prevalent pop icon: Disney's "The Little Mermaid" was Ariel.