National is a deceptively simple sans serif with subtle details that give it a distinctive — but not distracting — personality. It was drawn as a stylistic opposite to Helvetica with looser spacing, unambiguous forms, old-style figures and a “true” italic. The general functional aim is a typeface suitable for long-form reading at small sizes, something classically “typographic”. National’s details are drawn from the era of Akzidenz Grotesk, giving it a humble, workmanlike character with an agreeable tone of voice. While National travels through, and touches on, a lot of historical material, it is designed to thrive in our modern typographic climate.