Like other
"grotesque" typefaces of the period such as
Akzidenz-Grotesk of the
Berthold Type Foundry, Venus has a minimal, 'neutral' design, with a monoline structure and an absence of flourishes. However, compared to many later sans-serifs, such as
Helvetica and
Univers, it has a more irregular design, with stroke terminals at a variety of angles rather than generally exactly horizontal or vertical. A notable feature is the distinctive motif of unusually high-waisted capitals, visible in the 'R', 'G', and 'E'.
Walter Tracy describes this as similar to some of the much more adorned
Art Nouveau and
Secessionist lettering of the period. Original versions had sheared horizontal stroke terminals on 'E' and 'F', but in the later metal-type period it was sold with alternate capitals without these. The
'g' is single-storey and the sloped form is an
oblique, rather than a
true italic. A double-storey 'g' was also available as an alternate character. ==Usage==