So I just saw a documentary film on the typeface helvetica. It completely enthralled me. Helvetica is the simple (possibly generic) typeface that we see EVERYWHERE today. It is the basic font of choice for communication for even the most mundane things.
It was designed in the 60s by a Dutch designer in which a Swiss company somehow had ownership privileges of it. Helvetica means Swiss in Latin. What this typeface did for advertising and the general communicative and graphic arts is amazing. In the 50s, print ads had multiple fonts within one advertisement including sometimes paragraphs to explain the product. It was very visually busy and time consuming to consume. What happened in the 60s with helvetic and advertising is so beautiful. They streamlined the ads to a simple slogan or catch-phrase in this very simple font. This font was not only visually clear but it made the advertising clear. It’s beautiful how the two coincide with one another.
It made me think of architecture and what the world would be like if a design had made the impact that this typeface made on the world. Helvetic is everywhere today, and it is a good design. However, some say that it is, or has become generic, due to the fact that is everywhere and the personality has been taken out of the graphic design. But if a good design in architecture had spread as much as helvetica has, maybe we would all be living in better buildings. I’m thinking of Dutch and Swiss architecture, or modern architecture or anything from the de stijl movement, which is what the principles of helvetica is based upon. I would prefer to be working/living in a ‘generic’ modern designed building as opposed to the suburban crap that is built in our sprawling towns.
It is a very intersting film. And it goes into greater depth into other aspects and some negative aspects of the typeface and a new revolution within it. Check it out: http://www.helveticafilm.com/
