Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Equivalent?

Akzidenz-Grotesk Pro is available on Monotype Fonts as part of subscription! Amazing!

I know this has been a while and I'm also not a font expert but adobe has "Aktiv Grotesk" which to me looks similar if not identical.

I'm kind of surprised Akzidenz Grotesk comes up in discussions these days since the type family hasn't been bundled into Adobe software applications such as Illustrator since the early 1990's. We're going back to when the application installers were on floppy discs.

I'm a little annoyed by Adobe dropping support of Postscript Type 1 fonts. The format may have been old and outdated compared to modern OpenType technology. But long time users have decades worth of files built using those fonts. And this is all happening because of Harfbuzz? I think someone should have designed Harfbuzz better. This is yet another factor to show how digital-based files have so many potentially fatal weaknesses built into them. After 30 plus years of doing computer graphics work and seeing all the things that have "died," be it graphics applications, storage formats or even whole operating systems, the only document storage format that seems safe at all anymore is paper. It sure isn't anything digital.

I still remember how Type 1 Multiple Master fonts arrived with fanfare in the mid 1990's only to disappear from use by the end of the decade. How long will Variable Fonts in OTF flavor survive this time?

Regarding substitutes of Akzidenz Grotesk, URW made a knock-off of it called Modern Sans. Unfortunately it's not one of the families URW has hosted on Adobe Fonts.

Helvetica Neue is a decent substitute for AG, although it is very different in style with all its horizontal terminals and overall cleaner look. As much as I can't stand Arial, it's actually closer in appearance to AG than Helvetica. Franklin Gothic could be a decent substitute for AG.

You can purchase the OTF font version from several font resellers: https://www.myfonts.com/collections/akzidenz-grotesk-font-berthold.

I would do that, if I had a customer, insisting on exactly that font. Otherwise, I would look into a different font.

Hey there,

Man, it's a bummer Adobe has dropped support for Type 1 fonts, right? Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk is a classic, so I totally get why you'd want to find a close alternative. You might want to check out fonts like "Helvetica Neue," which has a similar Swiss design, or "Univers," which also offers a wide range of weights and styles. Both are modern and well-supported, so they should fit right into your workflow.

If you're looking for something a bit more contemporary but still in line with that classic Akzidenz Grotesk vibe, "FF Meta" and "Avenir" could also be solid choices.

Depending on your project needs and how closely you need to match the original, these options could range from "good enough" to "almost indistinguishable." It might take some trial and error to see which one feels right for you.

Good luck on your font quest!