helvetica

It’s as ubiquitous as air, & nearly as invisible. The most maligned of all typefaces, once considered the most modern, is on the rise again. At first blush one would think there is no way that this documentary by Gary Hustwit could be anything more than an exercise in extreme boredom. That’s where you would be completely wrong. The film is a design geeks dream, filled with insight & history of not only the Helvetica typeface, but also distant & recent graphic design history. The film includes a roster of design stars, including Matthew Carter, Rick Poyner, Neville Brody, David Carson & Michael Beirut, to just name a few. All give amazing anecdotal evidence to their particular insights into design & their relationship to Helvetica. In the past a film like this would have been relegated to the dust heap of graphic design classes & seminars, however, with the advent of the PC in the 90s, the everyman in society has become more & more familiar with fonts. With the proliferation of social networking sites & blogs, the ability for everyone to become the graphic designer of their own worlds has revolutionized our society in ways unimaginable a few decades ago. Don’t let the title of this film fool you. This is a fascinating look at our modern society as much as a history & dissection of this ubiquitous typeface, & a particularly enjoyable way for any avowed design geek to spend an afternoon, or two. Netflix this film today. you won’t be sorry.


(btw, this post was not written in Helvetica)