Ditch Helvetica, try these 5 contemporary sans serif typefaces

The other night I took to Twitter to see if anyone had any good suggestions for a contemporary feeling sans-serif typeface for use in a project that I’m working on. I received a number of suggestions, so I thought I’d share five typefaces which were my favorites. They’re listed out in alphabetical order, not by preference, in case you were wondering. And if you were curious what the typeface in the image above was, it’s Avenir.

You can click the titles of each font to get more information/purchase them.

Alright Sans by Jackson Cavanaugh
Alright Sans is a contemporary sans-serif. Inspired by both grotesque and humanist models, it’s clean and prudent with a warm, friendly tone.

Alright Sans is a modest design that doesn’t feel at all stiff or bland. It has open apertures and roundabout economy that works exceptionally well across media and at reduced sizes. And with shorter-than-normal capitals and a tall x-height, it’s functional without becoming distracting, goofy, or unprofessional.

Aperçu by The Entente
Aperçu is a sans-serif typeface designed by Brighton based studio The Entente. Aperçu was started in December 2009, and has been trialled and tested through a number of design commissions taken on by The Entente through 2010. The conceit behind Aperçu was to create a synopsis or amalgamation of classic realist typefaces: Johnston, Gill Sans, Neuzeit & Franklin Gothic.

Calibre by Klim Type Foundry
Calibre is a geometric neo-grotesque, inspired by the rationality of Aldo Novarese’s seldom seen Recta. The now-defunct Nebiolo foundry released Recta in the late ’50s, designed by a team lead by Aldo Novarese. Like Novarese’s Microgramma & Forma, Recta seems to be an attempt to rationalise the genre. Unfortunately it’s marred by over optical correction and awkward branching—neither smooth nor sharp. However, Recta’s rationalisation of the neo-grotesque genre appealed to me and was a logical starting point for Calibre.

You can read a long and extremely interesting essay on the creation of Calibre, and it’s counterpart, Metric by clicking here.

Knul by Jonathan Hill
An elegant modern typeface with a subtle monoline appearance. The simplicity of the design creates clean forms best suited to identity, editorial and advertising uses.

Supria Sans by Hannes von Döhren
Supria Sans and Supria Sans Condensed is an extended family of 36 fonts designed by Hannes von Döhren. It contains two widths, six weights and three styles, including the curvy, feminine Italic as well as the more conventional Oblique. Although it is inspired by the utilitarian clarity of Swiss type design, subtle curves and fine detailing impart a more playful character to the whole Supria Sans family.