Akzidenz-Grotesk Next® Pro Family

Berthold first published Akzidenz-Grotesk in 1898. The design originates from "Royal Grotesk light" by Ferdinand Theinhardt, who also designed the regular, medium and bold weights. The classic Akzidenz-Grotesk family has been compiled from several, formerly independent sources over the years. When H. Berthold AG was growing and buying smaller typefoundries at the beginning of the 20th Century these types were unified into one family as the demand grew for a large sans serif family. This resulted in inconsistencies in the shape and weight steps throughout the original sans.

Akzidenz-Grotesk Next was conceived as a single family that uses the principal shape characteristics of the original Akzidenz-Grotesk, which now appear throughout all the weights. The x-height has been readjusted as well as the weights to obtain a more consistent design throughout the family from extralight to black.

Akzidenz-Grotesk Next was designed by Bernd Möllenstädt and Dieter Hofrichter, with inspiration and advice from Günter Gerhard Lange. This redesign of Akzidenz-Grotesk required considerable time and effort, with over 5 years in production. With these efforts, Akzidenz-Grotesk Next impressively overcomes the limits of traditional typesetting and fully embraces the potential of digital typography.