Avenir at a glance
| Category | Sans Serif |
|---|---|
| Designer | Adrian Frutiger (Linotype, 1988) |
| Styles on iOS | 12 (Black, Black Oblique, Book, Book Oblique, Heavy, Heavy Oblique, Light, Light Oblique, Medium, Medium Oblique, Oblique, Roman) |
| First on iPhone | iOS 6.0 |
| First on iPad | iOS 6.0 |
| Family name | Avenir |
| Default PostScript name | Avenir-Roman |
PostScript names for every Avenir style
iOS looks fonts up by their PostScript name, not the friendly family name. Use the names below exactly as written — they are case-sensitive.
| Style | PostScript name | iPhone | iPad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Avenir-Black | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Black Oblique | Avenir-BlackOblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Book | Avenir-Book | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Book Oblique | Avenir-BookOblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Heavy | Avenir-Heavy | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Heavy Oblique | Avenir-HeavyOblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Light | Avenir-Light | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Light Oblique | Avenir-LightOblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Medium | Avenir-Medium | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Medium Oblique | Avenir-MediumOblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Oblique | Avenir-Oblique | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Roman | Avenir-Roman | 6.0 | 6.0 |
How to use Avenir in code
SwiftUI
Text("Hello, world")
.font(.custom("Avenir-Roman", size: 17, relativeTo: .body))UIKit
let base = UIFont(name: "Avenir-Roman", size: 17)!
label.font = UIFontMetrics(forTextStyle: .body).scaledFont(for: base)
label.adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory = trueObjective-C
label.font = [UIFont fontWithName:@"Avenir-Roman" size:17];CSS for Safari on iPhone and iPad
.headline {
font-family: "Avenir", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;
font-weight: 400;
}Wrapping the font in UIFontMetrics, or passing relativeTo: in SwiftUI, lets Avenir grow and shrink with the user’s Dynamic Type setting. Read the custom fonts guide for the full checklist, or the San Francisco guide if you want Apple’s system font instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the PostScript name of Avenir on iOS?
Use “Avenir-Roman” with UIFont(name:size:) or SwiftUI’s Font.custom(_:size:). The family has 12 styles: Black, Black Oblique, Book, Book Oblique, Heavy, Heavy Oblique, Light, Light Oblique, Medium, Medium Oblique, Oblique, Roman.
Which iOS version added Avenir?
According to the iOS Fonts availability data, Avenir first shipped on iPhone in iOS 6.0 and on iPad in iOS 6.0.
Can I use Avenir on a website?
Safari on iPhone and iPad can render installed system fonts, so a CSS stack such as font-family: "Avenir", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; will use Avenir on Apple devices and fall back elsewhere. Embedding the font files on a server requires a separate web licence from the foundry.