Franklin Gothic vs Grotesque Sans-serif
Franklin Gothic evolved from Grotesque Sans-serif — the definitive American 'Gothic'.
Franklin Gothic
Morris Fuller Benton's 1902 American grotesque — a bold, sturdy 'Gothic' that became the voice of newspaper headlines and advertising for a century. Muscular where the Swiss sans are cool.
- Bold, sturdy weight with visible stroke contrast
- Double-story a with a generous, open bowl
- Double-story g with a distinctive ear
- Slightly narrowed, energetic capitals
- Curved R leg with a sturdy junction
Grotesque Sans-serif
The first family of sans-serif type — the blunt, slightly irregular nineteenth-century 'grotesques' that gave Victorian advertising its loud display voice. Sturdy and a touch awkward, they are the ancestral stock from which every later sans descends.
- Low but perceptible stroke contrast, not fully monoline
- Squared-off, slightly compressed curves
- Modest, often closed aperture on c, e, a, s
- Capitals of visibly uneven width and a slight irregularity
- Spurred capital G, frequently with a double-story g
At a glance
| Franklin Gothic | Grotesque Sans-serif | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1902 | 1810s–1900s |
| Discipline | Typography | Typography |
| Region | United States | England, Germany, United States |
| Family | Sans-serif | Sans-serif |
| Formal traits | grotesque, gothic, double-story-g, low-contrast | grotesque, low-contrast, closed-aperture, double-story-g |
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