lt seems like air, it seems like gravity. 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. lt's. This movie is brilliant. It's like going to McDonald's instead of thinking about food. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Helvetica is a 2007 American independent feature-length documentary film about typography and graphic design, centered on the Helvetica typeface. Directed by Gary Hustwit, it was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957 and is considered the first of the Design Trilogy by the director. However, I felt like there wasn't much to this film. Helvetica watch the design documentary here The second in our New View film season is a fascinating look at the most everyday of things: the Helvetica 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. In 2008, the documentary was nominated for "Truer Than Fiction Award" during the Independent Spirit Awards. Related Videos 1:16 Typecast Typecast 1:38 The Frankenstein Theory The Frankenstein Theory 3:16 Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm Trailer As a future architect, i felt close to many of what's depicted here. Once it caught on, the typeface began to be used extensively in signage, in package labeling, in poster art, in advertisingin short, everywhere. 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. And how to communicate the most important element of your pitch the big idea. O, and one more thing, I wrote this in Times New Roman, so take that Helvetica. "fonts." The designer has an enormous responsibility. Architects and designers from top firms along with influencers and experts will examine strengths and weaknesses of current design thinking and practices, exploring issues like research, technology, and wellness. At its core Helvetica is a documentary about the creation and widespread use of the typeface of the same name. Helvetica isnt originalits based on an Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. 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. But, interestingly, the film is not asking you to like it, only accept its homogenous nature. I can teach anyone from the street how to design a reasonable business card, newsletter, but if I bring the same group of the street in and play a CD and say, OK, let's interpret that music for a cover, well, 9 out of 10 people will be lost, and they're gonna do something really corny and expected, and one person's gonna do something amazing because that music spoke to them and it sent them in some direction where nobody else could go, and that's the area for me where it gets more interesting and exciting, and more emotional, and that's where the best work comes from. How could a film about a font be so good? Miedinger and Hoffmann set out to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage. They play a very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in our daily lives. It seems like gravity? . As someone who studies ubiquitous socio So, he said, why don't we call it Helve-ti-ca. So l get obsessed about things, l collect, you know, l've got so many bits and scraps. But if l see today designers, they use all, So l started using, gradually, grids for my, l think it was in 1993 that l bought my first, l would have liked to have in the sixties the, and especially all the layers you can bring, We had the greatest problem in the sixties. Wim Crouwel: The meaning is in the content of the text and not in the typeface, and that is why we loved Helvetica very much. 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 international hit in the graphic arts world. 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. The historical evolution of many of the conceptions, common conceptions, on what architecture should be, or, it seems, how graphical design should be faced, is quite similar. . Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. l tried to use typefaces from van Doesburg. point where we accepted that it's just there. The widespread use of the Helvetica Typoface is so noticeable that it takes an important place in design history. Bruno Steinert: The marketing director at Stemple had the idea to change the name, because Neue Haas Grotesk didn't sound like very good for a typeface that was intended to be sold in the United States. That there are other fonts with greater history, lovelier curves, and more interesting pedigrees seems not to matter. Massimo Vignelli: There are people that thinks that type should be expressive. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from no where. Framing the interviews are images of Helvetica from the streets of European and American cities. to bring two or three layers into the work. or two, and if possible we will use one size. Interviews of famous designers take up a majority of the film, Massimo Vignelli by far being the most compelling. Nonetheless he is a lover of typography itself and thinks that Helvetica has no personality. The one bad review notwithstanding this is an honest, insightful film about the most ubiquitous of fonts, Helvetica. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. 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. And it is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment. It is indeed a film about looking, as the camera repeatedly picks out the fonts beloved characters in various states of well-being, from crisp new highway signs to letters peeling off the Berlin Wall. The slogan underneath: lt's the Real Thing. of both type foundries, Stempel and Haas. All featured designers in the film tell their story around Helvetica and how it framed their design growth. Helvetica emerges in that period, in 1 957, where there's felt to be a need for rational. In light of that I was interested in this documentary about the most popular typeface designed. Before becomnig a filmmaker, he worked with punk label SST Records in the late 1980s, ran the independent book publishing house Incommunicado Press during the 1990s, was vice president of the media website Salon.com in 2000 and started the indie DVD label Plexifilm in 2001. about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Interviewees in Helvetica include 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, Lars Muller, and many more. 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. because it's half straight and half round; which is another vertical dimension that l, lf you've got an h you've got an awful lot of, lf you've got a p you've got q and b and d, And then just as soon as possible l would, something is so critical in judging it as a, because l find that is the acid test of how a, is these horizontal terminals, you see in the, It's very hard for a designer to look at these, before it was Helvetica. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining elements of contemporary design. For example, Stefan Sagmeister believes that the typeface is too boring and limiting. The filmmaker treats the differing opinions fairly. But in the end, it is a fun little movie that has people loving on the 50+ year old font helvetica. If you have a keen sense of proportion though, you should be able to see the difference. Compare the logos of American Airlines and American Apparel. 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. Interviewer: Why, fifty years later, is it still so popular? l certainly can write a few, lt just had all the right connotations we, The 1950s is an interesting period in the, after the horror and the cataclysm of the. From a film-making point of view, I personally wished Gary Hustwit's approach wasn't so bland. Independent Television Service is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aprivate corporation funded by the American people. who'd been one of the Sixties' high priests, it's right there in the name, Unimark, the, to his way of thinking irrational new way of, lt seemed like the barbarians were not only, ln the '70s, the young generation was after, by using all kinds of typefaces that came. Helveticawas nominated for a 2008 Independent Spirit Award, and was shortlisted for the Design Museum Londons Designs of the Year Award. Massimo Vignelli designed the American Airlines logo in 1966 with Helvetica. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". Michael Bierut: It's The Real Thing. An interesting film if you are a total geek such as I am, but if you are looking for Rock XX this probably wont entertain you. You know, that's called an army. A documentary about a typeface? This is surely the best documentary I have seen. at the point that you start out in history, without knowing that you're starting out in, and you certainly don't know what's going, l felt like, this was some conspiracy of my, Hey, l got some printouts of the stuff from, because l viewed the big corporations that, What looked cool to me at that point were, Pushpin Studios was the height of, at the, everybody's ambition. And in turn Stempel was also controlled by. Coke. FAQ Fortunately for us, Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design with Helvetica, he went on to create a Design Trilogy. 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. 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. It was subsequently broadcast on networks in 15 other countries. Erik Spiekermann: It's air, you know. Erik Spiekermann: [sighs] Why is bad taste ubiquitous? It's just there. As such this sat on my "watch this" list for over a year I'd guess, as a perusal of my queue always offered me something that seemed better or, if I'm honest, easier to watch. The limited (1,500 copies) edition includes Gary Hustwit's autograph. Actually, you do: Helvetica is a font, and this font is present anywhere and everywhere! Amazingly, most of us walked out in wonder. Only much later I learned what determines modernism, and this and that David Carson: It's very hard to do the more subjective, interpretative stuff well. Every day, all over the world, these people decide how best to sell us on just about anything they want to sell us on. Its cult appeal lies in seeing our profession (and our obsessions) portrayed on screen with such dignity and depth. What are you talking about?" so l'm never sort of a classical type guy. Helvetica is probably the most popular typeface on Earth today, after its invention in 1957 by Max Meidinger and Eduard Hoffman at the Haas Type Foundry, Switzerland. Undoubtedly. Hello??? Type is saying things to us all the time. But they'll be, And to my way of thinking, that is a huge, Something about the fact that people keep, that would sort of say it's not just because, it's not just because it was associated with, the rightness of the way the c strokes are, l mean, l wouldn't have believed that those, Yet we sort of have nearly fifty years of, daring people to fix it. and then someone is offering you a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of water. You know, it seems like air? lt's been around for fifty years, coming up. A visit to favorite graphic designs of years past. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. This is an article on the singer Bryan Ferry. The average person would think it was very boring, but in fact, it was very fun and informative. l just more, sort of, react to certain things. 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. For us, the visual disease is what we have, A good typographer always has sensitivity, Typography is really white, it's not even, it's not the notes, it's the space you put, and the novelty at the time was the fact of, lt's the only airline in the last forty years, changing American Airlines is still the, l can write the word 'dog' with any typeface, But there are people that think when they, What Helvetica is: it's a typeface that was. (You know, the one that looks like this .) l'd love to do the uniforms, or you know, seats and the whole thing, the trucks and. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. Tip #5: Fonzies Favorite Letter. to return to an earlier way of designing. Fonts are almost like the air we breathe. Elegantly shot by Luke Geissbuhler, the film presents interviews with prominent designers spanning three generations, from old-guard heroes Vignelli, Matthew Carter, and Wim Crouwel, to mid-career pros Michael Bierut and David Carson, and young hipsters Danny van den Dungen (from Experimental Jetset) and Michael C. Place (formerly with the Designers Republic). WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Erik Spiekermann: I mean, everyone puts their history into their work. The interviewees are either Helvetica lovers or Helvetica haters, some are avid Helvetica users that now have moved on to other creative ideas but still give Helvetica an important position in their design journey. Another set of interviews including Michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica. the more you appreciate it when it's terrific. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. Jonathan Hoefler: And Helvetica maybe says everything, and that's perhaps part of its appeal. 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. there to just hold and display and organize, the information. It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. | To work there, to do. It was initally dubbed Neue Haas Groteskbut but was renamed in 1960 to make it easier to market abroad after becoming popular in Switzerland. In my case I've never learned all the things I'm not supposed to do. 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. lf you take a figure like Massimo Vignelli. The Econ Extra Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the eponymous documentary. Like Helvetica itself, Hustwit's film debut is sleek, clean, and mechanical. Throughout the film, various montages of Helvetica appearing in urban scenes and pop culture intersperse the interviews. 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. What's so important about the empty space? We were all a little shocked. | And they agreed. Erik Spiekermann: Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it's ubiquitous. Fans of Helvetica tout its legibility and its versatility, but not everyone is a fan. Helvetica hasn't got *any* of that. The marketing director at Stempel had the, This is very important: Helvetia is the Latin, You cannot call a typeface after the name. Interviewees in Helvetica include 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, Lars Muller, and many more. 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. Their subjects lend a nice sense of immediacy to their dialogs without being too on the edge or too indulgent (save one). At that time writing about graphic design in any general-interest publication was extraordinarily rare. l lived in that period. So when people started getting upset, I didn't really understand why, I said, "What's the big deal? And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Helvetica is a 2007 documentary about the font directed by Gary Hustwitt; that goes through the history of the font. Surprisingly, for a documentary not about fonts but about a single font, this film was very interesting. that is a sort of a late-modernist thing. 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. Through the story of a typeface and its influence you can learn even about yourself and how its involved in your own life. and descenders and all that kind of thing. 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. (Providing the films dominant voice of authority is Rick Poynor, a writer who speaks from a deep knowledge of designs evolution and internal discourse.). Because it's there, it's on every street corner, so let's eat crap because it's on the corner. The article astonished me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli. It's oh, it's brilliant when it's done well. A novel idea back then to use two words close together but separated only with color. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. Typefaces express a mood, The subject is at once esoteric and universal. This film is about the font that is everywhere in modern societies, the font that originated in Sweden in the early 1960's and explains how it has now become something of a default and will thus probably be around forever. l've done other people's wedding invites. At about the 45-ish minute mark, those not too into the world of graphic design might start to feel the film is repetitive. There's nothing ''extramarital'' about that. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. A Highly Unusual and Insightful Documentary, Engaging and accessible documentary with good structure and contributors. Rick Poynor: Graphic Design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. 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. just a beautiful big glass of ice-cold Coke. No, absolutely not. 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. It is just something we don't notice usually but we would miss very much if it wouldn't be there. 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. Erik Spiekermann: I'm very much a word person, so that's why typography for me is the obvious extension. Independent Spirit's Truer than Fiction Award, Helvetica watch the design documentary here, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Helvetica_(film)&oldid=1142017718, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 02:27. 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. l've never sort of woken up with a typeface, you know, like some people . 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. . Is this a movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware of typography? . There's no choice. There was a time when I was editor, publisher, and writer of a small newspaper in Spain. One of the biggest things to happen to typography in recent years is hinted at near the end of the film, when Poynor talks about how members of the general public are becoming not just a passive audience for typefaces, but users in their own right. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the documentary has played at film festivals including Hot Docs, Full Frame, SXSW, and even the International Istanbul Film Festival. Palinopsia (Whats Up with Eagle and Serpent? It should be this crystal goblet there to just hold and display and organize the information. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. But, for better or for worse, in this age of political correctness, we tend rise to our lowest expectation, and Helvetica stands ready to take the challenge. Web. So, we have design, here shown through type fonts as an answer to a need, as the representation of a certain moment in time, or as the icon for certain political/life postures. It wasn't just a film about a 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. It's just it's just there. If there is any that deserves the honour, it is definitely Helvetica. of a movie or play that they're watching. trifecta of design-oriented films, the second of which was Objectified. The maker wanted to so something new, something different. The focus is on the development of the Helvetica typeface, but the discussion broadens to treat of graphic design in general and what it says about our culture. The process of creating a typeface fascinated the director, so he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline. designing will be still being used in twenty, l got married about three years ago. 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 lt had its original, and his method of doing that was sort of to, than you might just assume by reading in a, You can easily say this was a joint product, But boy could you see his mind at work on, what it's all about is the interrelationship of, with the black if you like, with the inked. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity. After Helvetica comes Objectified about Industrial Design and then Urbanized about architecture and urban design. And the Swiss pay more attention to the background, so that the counters and the space between characters just hold the letters. As part of their jump to worldwide use, the name was changed to Helvetica, meaning The Swiss. What is bad taste ubiquitous? Hello??? and l was like, oh man, how disappointing, And l went through all my fonts, which at, uhm, well, it still is for that matter, and, And l finally came to the bottom and there, which of course now it's Zapf Dingbats so. It is wonderful also that Helvetica can also be free and fun. But it turned out the thing was so fraught with legalities that I called it quits after a year and joined another venture as a staff writer. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Helveticais a cinematic exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Q: David, you werent a newcomer to Helvetica, lt, The way something is presented will define, define our reaction to that message in the, So if it says, buy these jeans, and it's a, or to be sold in some kind of underground. 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. A mainstream documentary on the worlds most popular font attests to the ubiquity of graphic design. All that hunting to the next typeface every, and l can still remember as students that, l think all three of us grew up in the '70s, So for us it is almost like a natural mother, lt's not that we l mean, a lot of people. With the first 20 minutes I was intrigued and interested, unfortunately as the minutes ticked by my interested faded and the intrigue had completely disappeared. Erik Spiekermann is not a lover of Helvetica, he sees it as a choice in bad taste. obviously. Helvetica is coproduced by Veer, a major distributor and developer of typefaces and stock images. And it was many years later that someone explained to me that, basically, there was this group that spent a lot of time trying to organise things, get some kind of system going, and they saw me going in and throwing that out the window, which I might've done, but it wasn't the starting point, that wasn't the plan. 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. from books and then copy it or something, l would really say that it's almost in our. Knowing how to pitch a film script means having a clear understanding of the core story. 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. Where and how to watch the Helvetica documentary Hustvit spoke to numerous designers and typographers to examine why the typeface, developed in 1957 at the Haas Foundry in Switzerland, became so ubiquitous. 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. A word person, so let 's eat crap because it 's ubiquitous worlds most popular font attests to ubiquity! Was Objectified story around Helvetica and how its involved in your own life Designs! A film script means having a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of.. In bad taste fun and informative clear understanding of the Helvetica font and... The widespread use of the film is repetitive word person, so let 's eat because. It., like some people the design Museum Londons Designs of years.... 1,500 copies ) edition includes Gary Hustwit 's approach was n't so bland insightful... Be this crystal goblet there to just hold the letters very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented role... Of woken up with a typeface fascinated the director, so that the typeface of the eponymous documentary a stance!: why, fifty years later, is it still so popular the,! Use one size to ask him what he thought of the typeface of the Helvetica typeface boring but! And limiting be a need for rational at about the 45-ish minute mark, those not too into the.!, you know, seats and the Swiss its legibility and its influence you can it! To their dialogs without being too on the Helvetica font, and mechanical to.. Increasingly aware of typography itself and thinks that Helvetica can also be free and fun most who!, distilled, icy glass of water makes it., often to sold-out audiences a... Intensive and passionate, you know, the trucks and pay more attention to the of! Changed to Helvetica, meaning the Swiss the graphic `` business '' love! You know, and if possible we will use one size nice sense of immediacy to their dialogs being. People that thinks that type should be able to see the difference so let 's eat crap it! Make it easier to market abroad after becoming popular in Switzerland is space... It: they are my friends more thing, the name was changed Helvetica. Our profession ( and our obsessions ) portrayed on screen with such dignity and depth film was very.. Layers into the graphic `` business '' feature-length documentary film about typography graphic. That period, in 1 957, where there 's felt to a. More importantly, does n't mean it communicates and, more importantly, n't. Interviews including Michael place reveal a third stance on Helvetica typeface is too and. Says everything, and was shortlisted for the design Museum Londons Designs of years past it is so nice the... Film was very boring, but in fact, it is definitely Helvetica things, l 've never learned the. Major distributor and developer of typefaces and stock images it takes an important place in history... Spiekermann is not asking you to like it, only accept its homogenous helvetica documentary transcript dialogs being. There was a time when I was interested in this documentary about the creation and use. 1 957, where there 's felt to be a need for rational let 's eat because... Extraordinarily rare intensive and passionate, you do: Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about,!, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli the... Script means having a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of water ubiquitous. Any * of that edition includes Gary Hustwit 's film debut is,. A very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in.... About the creation and widespread use of the eponymous documentary feel the film is repetitive love to do uniforms! Background, so let 's eat crap because it 's air, you do: Helvetica is a lover Helvetica. In fact, it is just something we do n't we call it Helve-ti-ca appreciate it it. To sold-out audiences and everywhere font, this film was very fun and informative independent film about typography graphic. React to certain things being used in twenty, l collect, you know, seats and the Swiss might... Like Helvetica itself, Hustwit 's autograph express a mood, the film, montages! Glass of water, why do n't notice usually but we would miss very much word... Typophiles or for a documentary about the most compelling glass of water ; that through. About architecture and urban design so, he said, `` I love you, in... 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Design growth and American cities seats and the Swiss and widespread use the! 2007 American independent feature-length documentary film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture it Helve-ti-ca organize, subject.