1992 · United States
Myriad
Also known as Myriad Pro
Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly's 1992 humanist sans for Adobe — a clean, warm, highly adaptable face best known as Apple's corporate typeface from 2002 to 2015.
Original specimen, not a historical artifactType specimen — Myriad (Humanist sans); shown in Source Sans 3, a sibling design (OFL). Owned; source: Design Style Book (original specimen).
About the style
Myriad was designed by Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly for Adobe in 1992, an early multiple-master and later OpenType humanist sans built for versatility and quiet legibility. It blends humanist proportions — varied widths, open apertures, a generous x-height, gentle stroke modulation — with a clean, contemporary neutrality, avoiding both the idiosyncrasy of Gill Sans and the coldness of the neo-grotesques. Its smooth, unfussy character and broad range of weights made it a designer's utility face, but it reached the public eye chiefly as Apple's corporate typeface from 2002 until 2015, appearing across the company's packaging, advertising, and the iPod and iPhone eras. It remains a benchmark of the approachable, adaptable humanist sans.
Notable examples
- ▸Robert Slimbach & Carol Twombly — Myriad (Adobe, 1992)
- ▸Apple corporate typeface (2002–2015)
- ▸Wide use in branding and Adobe's own identity
Anatomy of Myriad
The numbered markers call out the design elements that define this style. Hover or tap a marker to see its breakdown.
Original specimen, not a historical artifactType specimen — Myriad (Humanist sans); shown in Source Sans 3, a sibling design (OFL). Owned; source: Design Style Book (original specimen).
Myriad's R extends a gently splayed leg that curves out cleanly — a humanist touch that keeps the capital open and warm.
It uses an open double-story g with comfortable counters, part of its readable, book-rooted humanist construction.
The double-story a has an open aperture and softly tucked bowl, aiding legibility and lending the warm humanist feel.
In text Myriad reads clean and quietly warm — versatile enough to be invisible utility type, which is exactly why Apple chose it as a corporate voice.
How Myriad connects
Styles form a network, not a tree. Explore the direct neighbours below — click any to travel the map one hop at a time.
- Evolved from
- Influenced by
Evolved from Humanist Sans-serif
Influenced by Frutiger
Describe it like this
Prompt-ready vocabulary for describing or re-creating the Myriad look.