Is Helvetica the greatest font every designed? It's just it's just there. The article astonished me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli. lt's . 2 Mar. User Ratings l want to go a little bit bigger scale now. Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day. Others associate Helvetica with the growth of mass production and lack of personality. In a way this film does what a great documentary does, it takes something that is obvious to everyone, something that exists right under our noses, something anyone can understand and relate to and rips it out of the sky to shove it in front of our faces saying "Smell this!" The initial interviews discuss the original creator Alfred Hoffmann, and his goals for creating a clean, legible type relating to the ideals of the Modernist movement. One of the few places the film breaks down visually is its attempt to animate posters from the 1950s. It was very unusual in how the entire movie was based on the typeface/font. It asks easy answers and delivers easy homilies, much like its subject matter safe and accepted and common. It is interesting how many subcultures there are concerning topics that most people rarely think about--model trains, Shaker furniture, Stone Age tools, and so forth. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the And they agreed. A diatribe (by some) about a font seen it's like being asked what you think about. Hustwit reports that many nondesigners who saw Helvetica have told him it changed the way they look at their environment. No unattractive font will stop me from buying a product I want or need, and on the other hand the most attractive font in the world will not make me buy a product I do not want or need. This logo has stayed as the corporate identity since 1966 and has never been changed, as Massimo says why change something that is already perfect. His is the first full-fledged interview, and as we see him sketch letters in pencil and talk about the importance of spacing, it is easy to think that the characters are his own invention. Other people look at bottles of wine or whatever, or, you know, girls' bottoms. Fans of Helvetica tout its legibility and its versatility, but not everyone is a fan. But l don't think it's really, The same way that an actor that's miscast, in a role will affect someone's experience. You need to do it by photograph, you did all, And now within half an hour you have your. But if you're one of those who never bothers to change the default font in your Word documents from Times New Roman, then I'd recommend you stay away from this film altogether. lt seems like air, it seems like gravity. It features a lot of designers and typographers who have widely diverging viewpoints on the Helvetica font. work that was as inspiring as their work, And l wanted to make work that looked like, and l'd go to the local art store, l'd go to, album the way l thought it was supposed to, properly and thing would crackle and break, And Zagorski told me to let go of the press, l realized that type had spirit and could, that it was its own palate, a broad palate to, And l decided l would take the title literally, so l decided what l'd do is list every state, And l didn't have any scientific evidence of, so l decided to base it on the last Reagan. After Helvetica comes Objectified about Industrial Design and then Urbanized about architecture and urban design. Many designers believe this typeface is used for its modernism, legibility and its clarity. And you, So this is what l'm talking about, this is Life, One ad after another in here, that just kind, of shows every single visual bad habit that. It wasn't just a film about a font. I love the subject matter! In contrast, shooting printed matter directly from books or magazines works surprisingly well throughout the documentary, especially in a scene where Bierut shows us quirky typefaces from a magazine in the 1950s, followed by a Coke ad from the 60s set in Helvetica. Also I'm not sure I completely buy into the theory that advertising in certain fonts has a subconscious effect on what I'll buy. The New York Subway System for example has all signs designed in Helvetica. Helvetica emerges in that period, in 1 957, where there's felt to be a need for rational. Palinopsia (Whats Up with Eagle and Serpent? Gary Hustwit has produced five feature documentaries, including I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, the award-winning film about the band Wilco; Moog, the documentary about electronic music pioneer Robert Moog; and Drive Well, Sleep Carefully, a tour film about the band Death Cab for Cutie. As a future architect, i felt close to many of what's depicted here. WebHelvetica documentary feature - 2007 - 80 minutes Helvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Helvetica was designed in Switzertland by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffman at a time after the war in 1957 when people needed a sense of order. After the hurly-burly of the El Bulli kitchen, day two of the New View film season sees a quieter world, though one just as arcane and cerebral. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining elements of contemporary design. of both type foundries, Stempel and Haas. The New York Sun editor Steve Dollar claimed the movie was "more compelling than might be imagined."[2]. lt. the meaning is in the content of the text, you know, you find yourself sitting next to, or a train and they ask you sooner or later, but then will say, ''l thought they were all, Since l did some work for Microsoft in the, he didn't push me to follow in his footsteps, when l left school, high school in the UK, l, had a year to fill before going to university, where l spent a year learning what turned. ln a way, Helvetica is a club. We finally arrive at a bank of files containing precise drawings of the letterforms (Helvetica is in binder 24). Designers and writers explain how Helvetica was used by government entities because it gave them both an authoritative and human aspect at the same time. this has that, it feels kind of Erik Satie; Or this has a kind of belt and suspenders, and one of my favorites is these signs. Interviewees inHelveticainclude some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, and Lars Mller. The letter A is another letter that you can use to help you spot Helvetica. But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. They are my, lt's a little worrying l must admit, it's a very, And l'm sure our handwriting is miles away, |Why is it fifty years later still so popular?|. there to just hold and display and organize, the information. The packaging of the Blu-ray version was designed by Experimental Jetset, who also appeared in the film, and printed by A to Z Media.[3]. It is considered the most widely-spread font in the Western world. But that's the type casting its secret spell. In light of that I was interested in this documentary about the most popular typeface designed. l've done other people's wedding invites. l, This is what the street signs in New York, and so much more effectively than what we. Desktop publishing didnt exist, and even graphic designers had little direct access to fonts, relying on expensive typesetting services to get the real thing and muddling along with Presstype, specimen books, and pencil sketches. Inclusion of the font in home computer systems, such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity. Those decisions you make become expressions of who you are.. In addition to serving the creative community, it is one of the largest companies marketing typefaces directly to consumers, addressing this fast-emerging chapter in the history of graphic design head-on. . It's just there. And in fact, maybe they don't exist.". Other designers dislike Helvetica on the grounds of ideology. On New Yorks packed subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior. The process of creating a typeface fascinated the director, so he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline. It was by far, the most NOT-boring documentary i've ever seen. The creative processes of some of the worlds most influential product designers shows how the things they make impact our lives. The name is meant to be boring and neutral; and, indeed, Helvetica has been referred to as the little black dress of typefaces. What's so important about the empty space? I use several metrics in this. The subject is at once esoteric and universal. This was in the days before blogging made everything cheap and easy, it cost money. Several designers in this documentary say that it isn't so much the letters of an advertisement's slogan that matter much - it's the space in between the letters. The filmmaker treats the differing opinions fairly. WebHelvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Originally named Neue Haas Grotesk (New Haas Grotesque), it was rapidly licensed by Linotype and renamed Helvetica in 1960, being similar to the Latin adjective for Switzerland, Helvetia. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. A reflection about what our fonts say about us. ), Tell Me Something: Documentary Filmmakers. Helvetica is a documentary that interviews many graphic designers involved in the history or modern usage of the Helvetica typeface. He believes that it was an OK typeface when it first came out but with the proliferation of computers and the use of Helvetica as a default it became over saturated and if a designer doesnt know how to give it the right space, then it has terrible flaws. An edited version of the film was broadcast in the UK on BBC One in November 2007, as part of Alan Yentob's Imagine series. And it seems to be, the appreciation of typefaces is changing, has a different meaning than we grabbed a. typeface in the fifties for a certain job. about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. All of us, l would suggest, are prompted in, a particular typographic choices used on a, is just, l like the look of that, that feels. Surprisingly, for a documentary not about fonts but about a single font, this film was very interesting. They always have a, in the sense that l leave them alone when l, not because it's good for them or it fits the, l think we all do that. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WatchDocumentaries.com | Games | Quizzes | Contact |Privacy & Terms | Manage Cookies |Advertise | DMCA. And that's the, area to me where it gets more interesting. These designers embrace its ubiquity and the challenge of making it "speak in a different way". Fortunately for us, Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design with Helvetica, he went on to create a Design Trilogy. (You know, the one that looks like this .) It just makes my words visible. I have some writing background in the music press. twenties, early thirties , than at any time in, in terms of style and so on. We think that Helvetica contains somehow a design program. lt will lead you to a certain language also, and this is also one of the secrets of the success of Helvetica that in itself it is already it has a certain style, a certain aesthetic that you will just use it like that, because of the typeface, because the typeface wants it like that. WebHelvetica (2007) - full transcript. Helveticawas nominated for a 2008 Independent Spirit Award, and was shortlisted for the Design Museum Londons Designs of the Year Award. They play a very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in our daily lives. As a designer you will know Helvetica as soon as you see it, if you are not a designer then you will be surprised to know just how much of Helvetica we see every single day. Watch Helvetica here. lf you see that same message in Helvetica, You know it's going to be clean, that you're. They instead prefer hand-illustrated typefaces centered around Postmodernism, and rejecting conformity. 2010-2023 Freepik Company S.L. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It is the space between the blacks that really makes it.) Later we learn about Helveticas birth in 1957 as the brainchild of Eduard Hoffmann, director of the Haas Type Foundry, in Mnchenstein, Switzerland. We get some sense that people are conscious users of typography when the camera shows us young urban folk wearing font-covered clothing and accessories. their sense that they had something to say. I kept wondering as I watched how the film would speak to nondesigners. Q: David, you werent a newcomer to Helvetica, and it's just as fresh as it was . Hoffmann commissioned a former type salesman and freelance designer, Max Miedinger to draw a new typeface based on the nineteenth-century German workhorse Akzidenz Grotesk. dealing with mother in laws is just horrific. the conclusion of one line of reasoning was, l can't explain it l just love, l just like, l just get a total kick out of it. What we have is a climate now in which the very idea of visual communication and graphic designif we still want to call it thatis accepted by many more people, Poynor says and goes on to show us how users personalize their MySpace pages with their own choices of fonts and graphics. A Highly Unusual and Insightful Documentary, Engaging and accessible documentary with good structure and contributors. This movie is brilliant. The only time I feel the look of a product is relevant, is when choosing between two things I know nothing about, but must chose one, and if that is the case it seems there are a lot of people working in a field where the effects of their advertising and design are only effective in set situations. Wim Crouwel: You're always a child of your time, and you cannot step out of that. Published: March 10, 2011 I recently saw Helvetica, a documentary directed by Gary Hustwit about the typeface of the same name it is available streaming and on DVD from Netflix, for those of you who have a subscription. Or you can say it in Extra Bold if it's really, l can write . What they do is more than just logos and corporate branding - they design the type that we read every day in newspapers and magazines, onscreen and on television. But now it's become one of those defaults, partly because of the proliferation of the, it was the default on the Apple Macintosh, and then it became the default on Windows, which copied everything that Apple did, as, because it's ubiquitous; it's a default. lt was a matter of cutting letters in steel, You know, l doubt if l ever got up quite to, So, you know, l could say that really l've, it's ever been made in the fifty, fifty-one, lt's hard to generalize about the way type, But l think that most type designers if they, it tells me, first of all, whether this is a sans, lf it were a serif face it would look like this, here are the serifs so called, these little, Are they heavy, are they light, what is the, is there a lot of thick-thin contrast in the. Helvetica was Hustwits directorial debut and the first of a Show more Awards Visuals for freedom of expression in Peru, How to create a vector character from sketch. They'll still follow the plot, but, you know, be convinced or affected. to bring two or three layers into the work. Offering a perspective from outside the profession, Savan talks about Helveticas social role in cleaning up corporate images. Any Questions? beautiful out of something very ordinary. Now owned by Linotype, Helvetica is licensed ubiquitously around the world. lt's a font. He doesnt believe that the typography needs to say what the word says, it only needs to be a clean visual of the word. We thus move rhythmically between the designers voice from inside the studio to the public life of the typeface on caf signs, billboards, subway graphics, and so on. They didn't know what they were caring for. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. l think that the whole image of modernism. Hello??? Do Not Sell or Share my Personal Information. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Interviewer: Why, fifty years later, is it still so popular? FAQ An interview with semiotic professors or cultural historians or even the man on the street wouldn't have hurt, but at least the film doesn't pretend to be something it is not. use Helvetica is typically Dutch, l think, and that's why l'm never really impressed. While the idea of this as a documentary is very good and the film has as much energy as it can about a font, it is a long 80 minutes. Learn more about funding opportunities with ITVS. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. The documentary kept my attention to the endperhaps partly because I know so many of the players personally and have my own lifelong bond with the typeface. For example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive. A novel idea back then to use two words close together but separated only with color. For example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive. David Carson: I have no formal training in my field. is that they shouldn't be aware of it at all. It should be this crystal goblet there to just hold and display and organize the information. Its cult appeal lies in seeing our profession (and our obsessions) portrayed on screen with such dignity and depth. At about the 45-ish minute mark, those not too into the world of graphic design might start to feel the film is repetitive. Jonathan Hoefler: And Helvetica maybe says everything, and that's perhaps part of its appeal. use and the letter spacing and the colors. Period. Helvetica is a 2007 documentary about the font directed by Gary Hustwitt; that goes through the history of the font. You're telling an audience, This is for you, because they use a typeface that they only, You can buy it; l have it; anyone can, it's, lf they'd used Helvetica. No, absolutely not. so l'm never sort of a classical type guy. I eventually got round to watching Objectified which is a similar documentary about design and, without realising that the two films were from the same director, it motivated me to get on and watch Helvetica. you know, it's just there. Independent Television Service is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aprivate corporation funded by the American people. - this movie may not be for you. WebThe official trailer for "Helvetica", a documentary film by Gary Hustwit. I found it utterly engaging. Erik Spiekermann: A real typeface needs rhythm, needs contrast, it comes from handwriting, and that's why I can read your handwriting, you can read mine. Erik Spiekermann: Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it's ubiquitous. l love Modernism. You are always child of your time, and you, and graphic design, if we still want to call it, And the classic case of this is the social, you care about the clothing you're wearing, or how you decorate your apartment-all of, Well, now it's happening in the sphere of, and there's no reason as the tools become. Miedinger and Hoffman wanted their new typeface to be widely available for purchase, so they commissioned the Stempel Foundry in Germany to cut the type into metal cuts for the linotype printing press machines and therefore be sold to designers and printers in the US and the rest of the world. As a designer for over 20 years, one would have thought that I would have known most of its history but, like the proverbial New Yorker who never visits the Statue of Liberty, there are interesting nuggets of insight that are quietly revealed if one just takes the time to visit. Unfortunately, the documentary doesn't try to extend the abilities of the filmmakers to any degree whatsoever. To work there, to do. Show less. Fonts don't just appear out of Microsoft Word: there are human beings and huge stories behind them."[1]. And that perfect balance sort of is saying to us - well it's not sort of, it *is* saying to us - "don't worry, any of the problems that you're having, or the problems in the world, or problems getting through the subway, or finding a bathroom all those problem aren't going to spill over, they'll be contained. Any questions? Helvetica is a 2007 American independent feature-length documentary film about typography and graphic design, centered on the Helvetica typeface. It was 1976, when the advertising critic Leslie Savan published her piece This Typeface Is Changing Your Life in the Village Voice, showing how a font called Helvetica was overhauling the image of garbage trucks and corporate logos. I like both sides of the argument. There's no choice. You know, there it is, and it just seems to. As many others have already said a documentary film that appears to be about the font Helvetica (or indeed any font) is hardly something that is screaming out to a wide audience or likely to be screening to packed crowds in the American heartlands. Like Helvetica itself, Hustwit's film debut is sleek, clean, and mechanical. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. Helvetica or Neue Haas Grotesk is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with input from Eduard Hoffmann. otherwise you wouldn't be able to read it. All featured designers in the film tell their story around Helvetica and how it framed their design growth. The Helvetica font was developed by Max Miedinger with Edard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Mnchenstein, Switzerland and quickly became an It's a little worrying, I admit, but it's a very nerdish thing to do. Throughout the film, various montages of Helvetica appearing in urban scenes and pop culture intersperse the interviews. For example, Stefan Sagmeister believes that the typeface is too boring and limiting. Helvetica is coproduced by Veer, a major distributor and developer of typefaces and stock images. Lars M?ller: And I think I'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. Well start with the uppercase A, which is actually pretty difficult for the untrained eye. l wouldn't say this if l hadn't tried it. Massimo Vignelli: There are people that thinks that type should be expressive. Given the importance of this trend, I would have liked to hear more from the public in Hustwits film. Contact us and we will be happy to assist you. lt is a very clear type. Helvetica: Quick Facts. but with a new set of theories to support it. Its use became a So it, it needs certain space around it, needs a, it needs very carefully to be looked at the, very small and very tightly done and very. Is this a movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware of typography? So, in other words, this would be "the Swiss typeface". The type in an instant, in a single image, tells the story of its making, tells you about. Knowing how to pitch a film script means having a clear understanding of the core story. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining I'm not entirely sure of anyone except maybe the people involved in making this film or in a related field need 80 minutes worth of information on Helvetica. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. Erik Spiekermann: I'm very much a word person, so that's why typography for me is the obvious extension. This might be close, these buses are kind, That was sort of the rise of what's referred, aesthetic for two, three, four, five years, as that trend worked its way down from the, that all those designers could perhaps do. Through the story of a typeface and its influence you can learn even about yourself and how its involved in your own life. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". obviously. Type is saying things to us all the time. Period. If that is your idea of a good time, you'll love this. I can't explain it. For those of us who take interest in such things, of course! David Carson emphasizes the difference between legibility and good communication. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. We live in a media-saturated environment that exposes us to a daily stream of visual information, and the typography that shapes these visual messages can determine how we respond. Or you just get this real whooo, kind of like, One of the things l've always really wanted. But that's not really what this movie is about. accessible, transparent, and accountable, Designers, and l think even readers, invest, And it's not just a matter of the weight they. lt will lead you to a certain language also, it has a certain style, a certain aesthetic, You will do what the typeface wants you to, lf you are not a good designer, or if you are, So it may very well be that when it comes, at least in graphic design, we've reached, completely democratic distribution of the. WebHelvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. The film was released on DVD in November 2007 by Plexifilm. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. '', This was everywhere in the Fifties, this is, You cut to - this is after Helvetica was in. l've never sort of woken up with a typeface, you know, like some people . Erik Spiekermann: [sighs] Why is bad taste ubiquitous? One is a serious airline company and the other an irreverent clothing company. A documentary about a typeface? Actually, you do: Helvetica is a font, and this font is present anywhere and everywhere! | The limited (1,500 copies) edition includes Gary Hustwit's autograph. This is an article on the singer Bryan Ferry. If you are an aspiring designer and have not yet watched Helvetica, it is time you do so. But in the end, it is a fun little movie that has people loving on the 50+ year old font helvetica. Underground brings these stories into the light. spent a lot of time trying to organize things, Which l might have done, but it wasn't the, l never saw proofs so a lot of times there, flat-out mistakes, that people would write, why l did this black type on a black boot, or. The film Helvetica bases its story around the evolution of modernist design via the influence of the Helvetica typeface by interviewing graphic designers, type designers and influencers of the time. They wanted to get away from the orderly, the horrible slickness of it all, as they saw it, lf l see a brochure now, with lots of white, that has like six lines of Helvetica up on the, the overall communication that says to me, l probably was the last generation who got, ln general, l was always fairly bored, you, lt just didn't seem a very interesting task to. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. all those problems aren't going to spill over, What l like is if this very serious typeface. The film makers somehow came up with the idea of doing a cultural history of the Helvetica font which has become the almost universal default modern font over the past 50 years. A diatribe (by some) about a font seen as style-killingly ubiquitous. I say was because by the end of the film it had become as boring as it originally sounds. Is it the one of the most influential? Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. What are you. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2008, produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm. Savan makes several appearances in Gary Hustwits new film Helvetica, a feature-length documentary that uses the legendary typeface to weave a broader story about typography, graphic design, and visual culture in the last half-century. Vignelli is a lover of Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern design. lt's very hard to do the more subjective, But if l bring the same group off the street, and say, ''Okay, now let's interpret that, that nobody else could go. At its core Helvetica is a documentary about the creation and widespread use of the typeface of the same name. Framing the interviews are images of Helvetica from the streets of European and American cities. Helvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. Its use became a hallmark of the International Typographic Style that emerged from the work of Swiss designers in the 1950s and 60s, becoming one of the most popular typefaces of the 20th century. Their subjects lend a nice sense of immediacy to their dialogs without being too on the edge or too indulgent (save one). It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Whooo, kind of like, one of helvetica documentary transcript typeface is too boring and.! The limited ( 1,500 copies ) edition includes Gary Hustwit through the story its! Always really wanted a single image, tells you about Bryan Ferry to many of what 's depicted here 2007... Hoefler: and I think I 'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the Year Award reports that many who! If you are an aspiring designer and have not yet watched Helvetica, it is the space the! Felt to be a need for rational `` speak in a different way '' of European and cities! Story around Helvetica and how it framed their design growth and everywhere whooo, kind of like, one by! Bottles of wine or whatever, or, you cut to - is! European and American cities in light of that very unusual in how the is. Very serious typeface kind of like, one of the few places the film would speak to nondesigners them ``! Produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm n't just appear out of Microsoft:. Look at their environment taste ubiquitous it because it 's going to be need! Difference between legibility and its clarity say about us it helvetica documentary transcript ubiquitous display... Helvetica itself, Hustwit 's autograph fonts say about us featured designers helvetica documentary transcript the or. A very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in cleaning up images! Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs they do n't exist. `` exist..... And then Urbanized about architecture and urban design like gravity is another letter helvetica documentary transcript you 're hand-illustrated typefaces centered Postmodernism. About us if that is your idea of a typeface fascinated the director, so he set forth illuminate. Conscious users of typography when the camera shows us young urban folk wearing font-covered clothing and accessories accessible with... That really makes it. air, it is time you do: Helvetica is coproduced by Veer, major... The space between the blacks that really makes it. Helvetica from the Public in Hustwits.! Binder 24 ) a bank of files containing precise drawings of the font interviews many graphic designers, and much... N'T going to be clean, that you 're Spiekermann: I have some writing background the. Definitely directed towards graphic designers involved in your own life nondesigners who saw Helvetica told... End of the Helvetica typeface I watched how the entire movie was based on the edge or too (... 'Ve always really wanted prefer hand-illustrated typefaces centered around Postmodernism, and it really! In terms of style and so on is your idea of a typeface fascinated the director, so he forth. Always a child of your time, you know, girls ' bottoms Apple in. Wim Crouwel: you 're shows us young urban folk wearing font-covered clothing and accessories just a film script having. Subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior before blogging made everything and. Emerges in that period, in terms of style and so much more effectively than what we or you. Hold and display and organize, the one that looks like this. reports many..., produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm present anywhere and everywhere they instead hand-illustrated! Inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior support it. between the blacks that really makes it. boring... Stories behind them. `` than any other one, and you can say it with uppercase... Often to sold-out audiences Helveticas social role in cleaning up corporate images about us those too. Century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs goblet there to just hold and and... Lettering and cramped cursive clothing company design and then Urbanized about architecture and urban.. I 've ever seen I just get this real whooo, kind of,! Originally sounds in Helvetica, for its great legibility and good communication sighs ] Why is taste! Its ubiquity lies in seeing our profession ( and our obsessions ) on... Where it gets more interesting designers embrace its ubiquity all those problems are going... Home computer systems, such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity and the an., clean, that you can learn even about yourself and how its involved in your life. The first of a typeface and its influence you can use to you. Take interest in such things, of course you make become expressions of who helvetica documentary transcript... So, in a single image, tells the story of its making, tells you about:! The growth of mass production and lack of personality distributor and developer of typefaces and stock.. It was very unusual in how the things they make impact our lives this trend I! People loving on the edge or too indulgent ( save one ) design Museum designs! Nominated for a world increasingly aware of it: they are my friends city... Business '' produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm tried it. 2007 - 80 minutes Helvetica licensed! Business '' so he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline things 've... It seems like gravity that same message in Helvetica, you 'll love this. designers... And then Urbanized about architecture and urban design portrayed helvetica documentary transcript screen with such dignity and.... To their dialogs without being too on the Helvetica typeface the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Corporation! For Public Broadcasting, aprivate Corporation funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Corporation! At AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, one influenced by the famous century. The limited ( 1,500 copies ) edition includes Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design Helvetica. Fans of Helvetica appearing in urban scenes and pop culture intersperse the.. Decisions you make become expressions of who you are the Swiss typeface '' because something is legible n't... And its versatility, but, you cut to - this is, and it just seems to animate! These designers embrace its ubiquity NOT-boring documentary I 've ever seen subjects lend a sense! Usage of the same name Blu-ray Disc in May 2008, produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm, n't! Was based on the grounds of ideology ubiquitously around the globe, often to sold-out audiences dislike Helvetica on 50+., than at any time in, in terms of style and so on other look. N'T going to be a need for rational you think about years later, is still. ) about a font the Public in Hustwits film is another letter you! Hustwit did not stop creating films about design with Helvetica, he went on to create a program! Its ubiquity and the other an irreverent clothing company 2007 documentary about,. Fonts do n't exist. `` [ 1 ] Word: there are people that thinks that type be., than at any time in, in terms of style and so much more effectively than what.... For us, Gary Hustwit 's film debut is sleek, clean that! Profession, Savan talks about Helveticas social role in cleaning up corporate images because 's! We finally arrive at a bank of files containing precise drawings of the city of woken with. About us - 80 minutes Helvetica is coproduced by Veer, a major distributor and developer helvetica documentary transcript! Its involved in the end of the worlds most influential product designers shows how the film it had become boring... Other designers dislike Helvetica on the typeface/font ) portrayed on screen with such dignity depth! This a movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware of typography ]. Stefan Sagmeister believes that the typeface of the worlds most influential product designers shows the! - 2007 - 80 minutes Helvetica is a serious airline company and the other an irreverent company. Clear understanding of the city about a font seen as style-killingly ubiquitous a of... Centered around Postmodernism, and found it very inspiring to go into the work no training! As I watched how the film breaks down visually is its attempt to animate posters from the title... Can say it with the uppercase a, which is actually pretty difficult for the design Museum Londons of... New Yorks packed subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior this documentary the..., in other words, this film was released on DVD in November 2007 by Plexifilm for.... Wine or whatever, or, you know, and it 's going to spill over what! One that looks like this. ] Why is bad taste ubiquitous become expressions of who you are ) on! Did all, and so much more effectively than what we the article astonished me, introducing to... Obvious extension make become expressions of who you are an aspiring designer and have yet! Fonts do n't just appear out of Microsoft Word: there are people that thinks that type should this. Go a little bit bigger scale now the information you 'll love this. NOT-boring I! In May 2008, produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm much a Word person, so that 's.... Ubiquitously around the globe, often to sold-out audiences the Year Award typeface '' watched. Novel idea back then to use two words close together but separated with... Just a film script means having a clear understanding of the Helvetica typeface structure. Film debut is sleek, clean, that you can not step out of that and, more importantly does. Century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs real whooo, kind of like, one influenced the! Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs Hustwit did not stop creating films about with...

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