Myriad Pro vs Helvetica
I was recently forced to choose between the popular fonts Helvetica and Myriad Pro. Both are great fonts, so it’s hard to choose between the two. Helvetica is used by just about everyone, which is almost a reason in of itself not to use it However, Myriad Pro is also widely used, and Apple uses Myriad; Myriad is the same as Myriad Pro like Helvetica Neue is to Helvetica.
Not wanting to choose one over the other for any reason other than my own, I decided to investigate.
So here is Helvetica and Myriad Pro overlaid each other semi-transparent. Helvetica is red, and Myriad Pro is blue. When the two are similar, it forms purple. … Duh.
Larger .jpg Version | High-Res PDF | .ai File
Upon close inspection, I have determined that Myriad Pro and Helvetica are two completely different fonts. … Duh. But seriously, these fonts are very different. They are both solid, well-done, sans-serif fonts. Even though many of the letters are almost identical, the fonts are still very different – moreso in the uppercase forms than the lowercase.
Helvetica is a very Swiss font. Helvetica was designed for the space around each letter to hold the forms together, creating a solid block. It is an excellent font to create solid structures with type.
Myriad Pro is very similar to Helvetica… but very different. The space in between each letter isn’t as rigid as Helvetica, the letters allow more air to flow through each other creating a lighter font with a freer spirit than Helvetica. Furthermore, Myriad Pro 12pt is smaller than Helvetica 12pt, which I found interesting. I guess Myriad Pro has a greater cap hight, which can be seen in many of the lowercase forms, especially the lowercase f.
Comparing Myriad Pro and Helvetica isn’t like comparing Helvetica to Helvetica Neue (which I just read a great comparison on, but can’t find it), or even comparing Helvetica to Arial. Helvetica and Myriad Pro are to different solid sans-serif fonts that should be used in design for two different purposes.
For visually solid results, go with Helvetica.
For visually looser results (but still pretty solid), go with Myriad Pro.
There is no absolute answer here, just choose the right font for the job.
Which font do you prefer?
I usually prefer Myriad for my print and web design works. It looks something professional, and also a bit different one from common helvetican styles.
I use Myriad for my resume now, and before I used Helvetica. My new resume had givem me lots of chances and it looks nice.