Designed in 1982 by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders for Monotype, Arial was created to be a metrically compatible alternative to Helvetica. This allowed documents designed in Helvetica to print correctly using Arial without shifting the layout.

However, if you are looking for the standard for professional projects, here is a comprehensive guide to its history, licensing, and the best free alternatives. The History and Popularity of Arial

Searching for an can be confusing because "Arial" often refers to the classic system typeface, while "Aerial" is a distinct, stylistically different font. If you are looking for the modern, techno-inspired Aerial font , it is available as a free download for personal use on sites like Dafont and Fonts4Free .

Arial’s rise to global ubiquity began when Microsoft included it as a core font in Windows 3.1. Today, it is praised for its: 16 Fonts Similar to Arial | Envato Tuts+