You have to admit that the title above got your attention didn't it? Who would have thought that an entire documentary could be filmed on the subject of a font type. And as a tribute to this movie, this post is published in ... what else ... Helvetica :)
The Helvetica font has long been associated in my mind with cool, crisp & clean modernity. It stands out from the background and conveys its message clearly and efficiently. Celebrating its 50th birthday, the Helvetica type was developed by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland. The name Helvetica itself is Latin for Switzerland.
I've long been fascinated with this font type since I was a teenager grasping my grubby hands on my first New Order album.
Peter Saville created a consistent image across all the bands managed by the then Manchester-based Factory Records.
The ubiquity of Helvetica in contemporary visual culture is further perpetuated by the inclusion of the font in the Apple Macintosh in 1984. Today, as the documentary will assert, the use of this type face surrounds us and affects us a variety of ways.
Check out the clip from the Helvetica movie below; it depicts scenes from Berlin and has a nice interview with Erik Spiekermann, the man famous for his design of informational displays on the Berlin Transit.
And I particularly like this clip from the movie where the psychological impact and communication that is conveyed through the use of Helvetica type faces is discussed.
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