The wrong font was installed at the Van Dorn Street Metro station as it’s getting rehabilitated. Helvetica Black, pictured, was mistakenly used by a vendor instead of WMATA’s standard Helvetica Bold.

Jordan Pascale / WAMU

Do you know the difference between Helvetica Bold and Helvetica Black?

A contractor in charge of printing the new WMATA station signs for the six stations under rehabilitation did not. Unfortunately for that vendor, transit and typeface enthusiasts do know the difference, and they were enraged.

On Thursday, Metro offered reporters a tour of the revamped Van Dorn Street station, which is set to re-open with five other stations south of National Airport on September 9. The reporters tweeted photos. It took less than three hours for followers to notice something was amiss.

https://twitter.com/DavidGorsline/status/1159499405696872448

Indeed, a vendor used the correct typeface, Helvetica, but the wrong specific font — Helvetica Black instead of Helvetica Bold.

On Friday afternoon, Metro said the contractor would fix the error.

“It is important to note that yesterday’s media tour preceded Metro inspections that would have flagged and corrected this issue,” Metro spokesperson Ian Jannetta said in an email. “However, we can confirm that, due to a vendor error, the platform contractor installed signs that use ‘Helvetica Black’ typeface, rather than ‘Helvetica Bold,’ as required by Metro’s signage standards. It will be corrected at no cost to Metro.”

For those following the controversy, here’s the difference.

Metro’s official style guide dictates what fonts should be used and where.

For what it’s worth, WMATA Board Chair Paul Smedberg wasn’t sweating the font stuff. After an appearance on the Kojo Nnamdi Show, Smedberg said he’s more focused on opening the stations safely and on time.

A few people weren’t sure why the font even matters.

https://twitter.com/Constancebrig21/status/1159564999305703426

Others pointed out the need for consistency and branding.

https://twitter.com/Tracktwentynine/status/1159878384220069889

To muddy the waters even more, Greg Jordan-Detamore pointed out that Metro’s 2008 style guide lists its font as Helvetica Medium, but the typeface example used in the guide is actually Arial.

For those wondering why it matters: WMATA’s iconic design aesthetic from architect Harry Weese is a key part of the character of the system. And the Helvetica font, picked by Massimo Vignelli, is one part of it that ties the system together and keeps it consistent.

“This tradition of architectural design has made the system one of the most beautiful and its stations considered by many to be ‘exemplary works of Modern Design.’” Metro wrote in its design standards.

It continued:

All new station designs, whether underground or above ground, shall follow and reinforce this design vision and live up to the view that public architecture in the Nation’s Capital shall be dignified and grand. While not necessarily duplicating past designs, new station designs shall build upon the tradition of superior architectural design and continue to reinforce a unique Metro image that unifies the system as a whole.

Since its creation in 1957 in Switzerland, Helvetica has become one of the most famous and popular fonts in the world—it was even the inspiration for a documentary film.

“At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity,” the film’s description says.

Part of the importance of the font is the legibility, which makes it easier to read for those vision impairments.

This is not the first controversy over WMATA’s modern interpretation of its classic aesthetics. Many riders flipped their lids when Metro painted some iconic concrete Brutalist ceiling vaults white.

This story originally appeared on WAMU.

Previously:
Metro Is On Track To Reopen Six Stations Next Month

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