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. (We think typography is black and white, he says. Michael Bierut: Everywhere you look you see typefaces. The article astonished me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli. It's the way they reach us. lt's . is that they shouldn't be aware of it at all. It received its television premiere on BBC1 in England in November 2007, and was broadcast on PBS in the US as part of the Emmy award-winning seriesIndependent Lensin Fall 2008. 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. of a movie or play that they're watching. It's just it's just there. . Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. We were all a little shocked. l tried to use typefaces from van Doesburg. 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. Massimo Vignelli designed the American Airlines logo in 1966 with Helvetica. 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. Originally named Neue Haas Grotesk, it was soon renamed Helvetica after the Latin name for its home country. Q: David, you werent a newcomer to Helvetica, Well start with the uppercase A, which is actually pretty difficult for the untrained eye. . Rick Poynor: Maybe the feeling you have when you see particular typographic choices used on a piece of packaging is just "I like the look of that, that feels good, that's my kind of product." If that sounds boring to you, well guess what, it often is. A film about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture, Helvetica looks at the proliferation of a single typeface. 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. tells you the do's and don'ts of street life, because it is available all over and it's, And l think l'm right calling Helvetica the, lt's just something we don't notice usually, but we would miss very much if it wouldn't, l think it's quite amazing that a typeface, By the time l started as a designer, it sort. For example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive. Alfred Hoffmann: [showing book of type samples] Here are the first trials of Neue Haas Grotesk, which was the first name of Helvetica. Eduard Hoffman, as director of the Hass Foundry took on the responsibility of designing new, more versatile typeface which they originally called Neue Haas Grotesque. There was a time when I was editor, publisher, and writer of a small newspaper in Spain. This is an 80 minute long movie about a font. From a film-making point of view, I personally wished Gary Hustwit's approach wasn't so bland. Any Questions? This is surely the best documentary I have seen. It aired in January 2009 as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS in the United States. their sense that they had something to say. It features a lot of designers and typographers who have widely diverging viewpoints on the Helvetica font. 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. Now you might think this is a dry and boring subject (as I did before I saw the film) but it is in fact a fascinating tale of design and it's implications. A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture. Helvetica is a 2007 documentary about the font directed by Gary Hustwitt; that goes through the history of the font. but with a new set of theories to support it. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". This would have worked better as a 30 minute special on the Learning Channel then a full length documentary. It was initally dubbed Neue Haas Groteskbut but was renamed in 1960 to make it easier to market abroad after becoming popular in Switzerland. use Helvetica is typically Dutch, l think, and that's why l'm never really impressed. I found it utterly engaging. I just did what made sense to me. to return to an earlier way of designing. But it almost seems strongerthe other way. Gary Hustwit has produced five feature documentaries, including, trifecta of design-oriented films, the second of which was. 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. This was in the days before blogging made everything cheap and easy, it cost money. The subject is at once esoteric and universal. With its clean, smooth lines, it reflected a modern look that many designers were seeking. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica. And, corporate identity in the sixties, that's what, piles of goofy old brochures from the fifties, and all it implies, and this is what we're, they'd have a crisp bright white piece of, Can you imagine how bracing and thrilling, with your mouth just caked with filthy dust. 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. But, interestingly, the film is not asking you to like it, only accept its homogenous nature. Helvetica premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2007. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will Visuals for freedom of expression in Peru, How to create a vector character from sketch. 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. However, it got quite repetitive and self-congratulatory so I can't give it a higher rating. 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). Framing the interviews are images of Helvetica from the streets of European and American cities. 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. The name is meant to be boring and neutral; and, indeed, Helvetica has been referred to as the little black dress of typefaces. to bring two or three layers into the work. All rights reserved. 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 looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th 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. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. 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. And certain things shouldn't be messed with, you know? Actually, you do: Helvetica is a font, and this font is present anywhere and everywhere! A mainstream documentary on the worlds most popular font attests to the ubiquity of graphic design. Helvetica was nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit's Truer than Fiction Award. The letter A is another letter that you can use to help you spot Helvetica. This typeface can be seen all over the world. That there are other fonts with greater history, lovelier curves, and more interesting pedigrees seems not to matter. The maker wanted to so something new, something different. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. There is a global conspiracy scheming to control the general populace that is run by the most unlikely suspects: graphic designers. It was by far, the most NOT-boring documentary i've ever seen. They didn't know what they were caring for. 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. 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. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th 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. The designer has an enormous responsibility. They'll still follow the plot, but, you know, be convinced or affected. It's a little worrying, I admit, but it's a very nerdish thing to do. But I don't think it's really quite as simple as that. 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. 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