Explanation
In 1983, D. Stempel AG redesigned the famous Helvetica typeface for the digital age, creating Neue Helvetica for Linotype: a self-contained font family. Today, this family consists of 51 different font weights. It's original numbering system for the weight designations came from Adrian Frutiger's numbering system for the Univers family. The basic font weight, Neue Helvetica Roman, is at the heart of this numbering system. The designation 55 Roman forms the central point. The first figure of the number describes the stroke thickness -- 25 for ultra light to 95 for extra black. The second figure gives information on the width and orientation of the font -- Neue Helvetica 53 Extended or Neue Helvetica 57 Condensed, for instance. Neue Helvetica sets new standards in terms of its form and number of variants. It is the quintessential sans serif font, timeless and neutral, and can be used for all types of communication. Neue Helvetica is one of three Helvetica typeface families from Linotype.
