The first thing to look for when identifying Helvetica is the lowercase a. It is a two-storied letter; the top of the bowl curves to meet the stem; the stem ends in a hooked tail almost like a serif that curves parallel to the baseline.

Next look for an uppercase R. Helvetica is one of the only san serifs that has a curved leg on the uppercase R.

If you can find an uppercase G that is big enough to see, you see that it has an angled spur where others are straight.

Cs and Gs have flat finals that run parallel to the baseline.

The lowercase g has an open bowl.

The lowercase t has a flat-topped ascender

The counters in the rounded letters are curved.

The number 1 has a bracketed beak.

The shoulders of the lowercase n and m thin before they meet the stem.