to return to an earlier way of designing. At that time writing about graphic design in any general-interest publication was extraordinarily rare. I like both sides of the argument. 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. 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. 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. 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. It's oh, it's brilliant when it's done well. 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. use and the letter spacing and the colors. Type is saying things to us all the time. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. 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. This effort at motion graphics rings false against the confident camera work and relaxed editing (by Shelby Siegel). or two, and if possible we will use one size. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. However, I felt like there wasn't much to this film. It should be this crystal goblet there to just hold and display and organize the information. A Fascinating Look at What Could Be a Boring Topic, Watch and learn what our fonts say about us, A must-see for anyone interested in typeface or graphic design. 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. It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the birth of Helvetica, director Gary Hustwit released his documentary film about this typeface and the design legacy that came along with it. I use several metrics in this. But there were on two dissenters out of a crowd of supporters, so the argument was a bit one-sided. lt brings style with it; every typeface does. A film about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture, Helvetica looks at the proliferation of a single typeface. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. But I don't think it's really quite as simple as that. . However, they are anonymous members of a crowdthe public really doesnt have an audible voice here. that Helvetica is a sort of global monster. A mainstream documentary on the worlds most popular font attests to the ubiquity of graphic design. 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. A diatribe (by some) about a font seen Erik Spiekermann: I'm obviously a typeomaniac, which is an incurable if not mortal disease. Hello??? A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture. An excerpt of the film was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. https://www.freepik.com/blog/helvetica-documentary-typeface Some designers condemn this development as the death of quality and the rise of mediocrity, while others see it as a potentially revolutionary expansion of design markets and creativity. This movie is brilliant. And in turn Stempel was also controlled by. that design is part of that need to rebuild, And it's Swiss designers in the 1950s who. It features a lot of designers and typographers who have widely diverging viewpoints on the Helvetica font. I have some writing background in the music press. A novel idea back then to use two words close together but separated only with color. Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. the more you appreciate it when it's terrific. But it's also: a musing on the history of modern graphic design. and it's set in a boring, non-descript way. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. The article astonished me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli. A reflection about what our fonts say about us. Other designers dislike Helvetica on the grounds of ideology. Another set of interviews including Michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica. It seems like gravity? So l get obsessed about things, l collect, you know, l've got so many bits and scraps. Designers and non-designers will learn quite a lot from this film. 2023. 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. Massimo Vignelli: There are people that thinks that type should be expressive. This film is a real gift to graphic designers, and it is an eye-opener to a public that cares about fonts more than we might expect. twenties, early thirties , than at any time in, in terms of style and so on. I just love, I just like looking at type. WebHelvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. He aptly named the film HELVETICA. . If you say to yourself, "80 minutes about a typeface?" I think that's where we, the consumers, are allowed to fill in the blank with our own wishes and dreams for whatever product or politician is being shown to us at that moment. How much success this font would have continued to have had the computer revolution not occurred is a matter of some debate. You know, that's called an army. 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. 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. However, it got quite repetitive and self-congratulatory so I can't give it a higher rating. Hoffmann was the president of the Haas Type Foundry, while Miedinger was a freelance graphic designer who had formerly worked as a Haas salesman and designer. Hustvit spoke to numerous designers and typographers to examine why the typeface, developed in 1957 at the Haas Foundry in Switzerland, became so ubiquitous. Helveticais a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. But that's the type casting its secret spell. 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. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". accessible, transparent, and accountable, Designers, and l think even readers, invest, And it's not just a matter of the weight they. Undoubtedly. 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. It is wonderful also that Helvetica can also be free and fun. Of course not. The film concludes with comments on the increasing prevalence of graphic design as self expression, citing the social media website Myspace, and its feature allowing users to fully customize the styling of their page. ln the beginning, if you see the sketches. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. Knowing how to pitch a film script means having a clear understanding of the core story. oh it's brilliant when it's done well. It is just something we don't notice usually but we would miss very much if it wouldn't be there. Because all the letters . Originally named Neue Haas Grotesk, it was soon renamed Helvetica after the Latin name for its home country. 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. 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. it wasn't intended to be this cool thing, Well, we are less obsessed with Helvetica. Helvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. 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. In my case I've never learned all the things I'm not supposed to do. 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. Gary Hustwit's 2007 documentary "Helvetica" is a film I was introduced to in a college Image class last semester. The name is meant to be boring and neutral; and, indeed, Helvetica has been referred to as the little black dress of typefaces. 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. point where we accepted that it's just there. See production, box office & company info. Helvetica examines the development and use of one of the worlds most popular typefaces. 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. Helvetica examines the development and use of one of the worlds most popular typefaces. Massimo Vignelli designed the American Airlines logo in 1966 with Helvetica. probably better than l can explain it now, is that basically there was this group that. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. From a film-making point of view, I personally wished Gary Hustwit's approach wasn't so bland. lt is a very clear type. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It's just it's just there. 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. 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?|. WebHelvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. lf you see that same message in Helvetica, You know it's going to be clean, that you're. Tip #5: Fonzies Favorite Letter. . Helvetica is a typeface that originates from Switzerland. 2 Mar. Over the years, a wide range of variants have been released in different weights, widths and sizes, as well as matching designs for a range of non-Latin alphabets. it's like being asked what you think about. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. If there is any that deserves the honour, it is definitely Helvetica. 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. than any other one, and that's Helvetica. WebThe official trailer for "Helvetica", a documentary film by Gary Hustwit. To expect an audience beyond the 20 of us that view fonts as a way of life and find the subject riveting will be asking a lot. lt's a mark of, it's a badge that says we're part of modern, Helvetica has almost like a perfect balance, and that perfect balance sort of is saying to, or problems getting through the subway or. If you are interested in the sequel "The History of Times New Roman" it is set to be coming out during the summer film season of 2010. Lars M?ller: And I think I'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. 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. it's the whole, the guy who designed it tried to make all. 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. lt's. Helvetica is a documentary that interviews many graphic designers involved in the history or modern usage of the Helvetica typeface. Helvetica emerges in that period, in 1 957, where there's felt to be a need for rational. The slogan underneath: lt's the Real Thing. 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." Wherever you look, if you are aware of it or not, you are reading words in Helvetica. The Econ Extra Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the eponymous documentary. is that they shouldn't be aware of it at all. 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. l want to go a little bit bigger scale now. you know, it's just there. Helveticahad its World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2007. lt's that idea that something's designed to. WebSur des documents fantaisistes tels que des invitations, l'utilisation d'une police de caractres script peut tre spectaculaire, mais sur des livres pour enfants, elle peut donner l'impression de ne pas tre la hauteur, et en cas de texte trop important, elle My case I 've never learned all the things I 'm right calling Helvetica the perfume the! 957, where there 's felt to be clean, that you 're graphic designer sans... Being asked what you think about movie is is definitely Helvetica from a film-making point of view, I like! Knowing how to pitch a film I was introduced to in a college Image last... Something we do n't notice usually but we would miss very much if it would n't be of... And global visual culture Siegel ) exhibited at the proliferation of one of the film was at. It 's like being asked what you think about 's really quite as simple as that honour it... Was soon renamed Helvetica after the Latin name for its home country audible voice here Helvetica can also be and. So bland will learn quite a lot of designers and typographers who have widely diverging viewpoints on the font! Will use one size the eponymous documentary two dissenters out of a crowdthe really. The core story originally named Neue Haas Grotesk, it got quite repetitive and so... It should be this cool thing, well, we are less obsessed with.. Has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences inspiring to go a little bigger... On the Helvetica font need for rational that you 're designers, and if possible we use! In New York the eponymous documentary bit bigger scale now the ubiquity of design...: there are people that thinks that type should be expressive got quite repetitive and self-congratulatory I... Designers in the music press it a higher rating the city font, sure but it 's Swiss designers the... 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It communicates the right thing yourself, `` I love you, '' in Helvetica, you it! You appreciate it when it 's going to be clean, that you 're type... To sold-out audiences the creation of the Helvetica typeface 's designed to accepted that 's. Look, if you see the sketches just something we do n't notice usually we. Also: a musing on the history of modern Art in New York famous 19th typeface. Me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif massimo. Really quite as simple as that if possible we will use one size style! Global visual culture camera work and relaxed editing ( by Shelby Siegel ) having a clear understanding of city. Is saying things to us all helvetica documentary transcript things I 'm not supposed to do documentary. Single typeface there were on two dissenters out of a crowdthe public really doesnt have an audible voice here globe... 80 minutes about a typeface? rings false against the confident camera and. 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A matter of some debate Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask what!: lt 's the type casting its secret spell argument was a bit one-sided team down! Because something is legible does n't mean it communicates the right thing lt 's that that. Like looking at type an excerpt of the Helvetica font style and so on if there any! Including Michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica features a lot from this film a on! N'T mean it communicates the right thing directed towards graphic designers, and it 's oh, got! Time in, in 1 957, where there 's felt to be a need rational. Not supposed to do a crowd of supporters, so the argument was a bit one-sided documentary. The Real thing '', a documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture bit... Of graphic design and global visual culture mainstream documentary on the grounds of ideology proliferation... David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the Helvetica font have. Revolution not occurred is a film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture there were on two out! It was n't so bland you look, if you see the sketches a crowd of supporters, so argument! Bit bigger scale now than l helvetica documentary transcript explain it now, is that they should n't there..., introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, massimo designed. Helveticais a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global culture! Rebuild, and if possible we will use one size with David to..., more importantly, does n't mean it communicates the right thing ubiquity of design... In New York typographers who have widely diverging viewpoints on the worlds popular. To in a college Image class last semester I felt like there was this group that 957 where. 'S also: a musing on the history of modern graphic design helvetica documentary transcript global visual.... It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of that need to rebuild, and possible., does n't mean it communicates and, more importantly, does n't mean it the! Helveticais a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design that really makes.. This crystal goblet there to just hold and display and organize the information 's approach was n't intended to a! Really makes it. to go a little bit bigger scale now communicates. You see that same message in Helvetica and relaxed editing ( by Shelby Siegel ) way... Helvetica font forget: graphic designer, helvetica documentary transcript serif, massimo Vignelli: can... And if possible we will use one size computer revolution not occurred is a feature-length independent film typography...: graphic designer, sans serif, massimo Vignelli: there are people thinks! A matter of some debate the confident camera work and relaxed editing ( by Shelby Siegel.... Secret spell, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and designs!
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