lt's been around for fifty years, coming up. Helvetia is the Latin name of Switzerland. So, in other words, this would be "the Swiss typeface". 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. 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. A documentary about a typeface? A novel idea back then to use two words close together but separated only with color. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining elements of contemporary design. l mean you can't imagine anything moving; it's a letter that lives in a powerful matrix of. it wasn't intended to be this cool thing, Well, we are less obsessed with Helvetica. lt is a very clear type. 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. . their sense that they had something to say. The Story of Helvetica 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 film it's boring, but as a font movie it is amazing! Related Videos 1:16 Typecast Typecast 1:38 The Frankenstein Theory The Frankenstein Theory 3:16 Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm Trailer You can't do better design with a computer. A film about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture, Helvetica looks at the proliferation of a single typeface. As someone who studies ubiquitous socio Hustwit reports that many nondesigners who saw Helvetica have told him it changed the way they look at their environment. For those of us who take interest in such things, of course! 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. At its core Helvetica is a documentary about the creation and widespread use of the typeface of the same name. 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. 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. Every day, all over the world, these people decide how best to sell us on just about anything they want to sell us on. But it's also: a musing on the history of modern graphic design. 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. Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, such as Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Tobias Frere-Jones, Bruno Steinert, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, and Lars Mller. Helvetica examines the development and use of one of the worlds most popular typefaces. 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. Erik Spiekermann: I'm very much a word person, so that's why typography for me is the obvious extension. But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. Independent Television Service is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aprivate corporation funded by the American people. 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. l just more, sort of, react to certain things. 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 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. It's oh, it's brilliant when it's done well. l've never sort of woken up with a typeface, you know, like some people . l think that the whole image of modernism. 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. Truth is, you will learn about so much more than just a typeface when watching Helvetica, you will learn about a design era, about how life and design intertwine on a daily basis. 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. 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. Helvetica is a documentary that interviews many graphic designers involved in the history or modern usage of the Helvetica typeface. Helveticaencompasses 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. I just did what made sense to me. It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. The fact that a movie about Helvetica could have such wide appeal speaks to this cultural shift. - this movie may not be for you. With its clean, smooth lines, it reflected a modern look that many designers were seeking. So l get obsessed about things, l collect, you know, l've got so many bits and scraps. Erik Spiekermann: I mean, everyone puts their history into their work. So when people started getting upset, I didn't really understand why, I said, "What's the big deal? 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. So, this subculture of designers produces work that shapes our lives and influences the way we see things. 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 looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. lf you take a figure like Massimo Vignelli. Jonathan Hoefler: And Helvetica maybe says everything, and that's perhaps part of its appeal. DNA is just a couple of letterforms like that. 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. 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. Helvetica, ostensibly a film about a typeface, delves into the world of graphic arts and takes a deeper look into style changes and the controversies over the role of the graphic designer since World War II. In light of that I was interested in this documentary about the most popular typeface designed. you know, it's just there. As a future architect, i felt close to many of what's depicted here. External Reviews 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. Of course not. The Econ Extra Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the eponymous documentary. 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. FAQ Below is an edited transcript of an interview by James Pallister with director Gary Hustwit at the Boundary Hotel, Shoreditch on the 17 April, the afternoon after the 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. Going out on the street will never be the same again, you will find Helvetica everywhere. Or you just get this real whooo, kind of like, One of the things l've always really wanted. They didn't know what they were caring for. Designers also point out typographic "bad habits" from earlier works around the 1950s which Helvetica tried to fix. l wouldn't say this if l hadn't tried it. 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. 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. Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. 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. 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 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. Fonts are almost like the air we breathe. Because all the letters . and then someone is offering you a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of water. One of the few places the film breaks down visually is its attempt to animate posters from the 1950s. 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. between characters just hold the letters. Contact us and we will be happy to assist you. 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. 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. 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 looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. And that's the, area to me where it gets more interesting. 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. This is surely the best documentary I have seen. A feature-length film directed by Gary Hustwit was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957. https://www.quotes.net/movies/helvetica_125195, https://www.quotes.net/movies/helvetica_quotes_125195. Framing the interviews are images of Helvetica from the streets of European and American cities. Its cult appeal lies in seeing our profession (and our obsessions) portrayed on screen with such dignity and depth. Type is saying things to us all the time. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity. 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 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. 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. Fonts don't just appear out of Microsoft Word: there are human beings and huge stories behind them."[1]. 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. I first became aware of typographythe very idea of itwhen I was in the eighth grade. In this interesting little documentary we meet a number of people who are passionate about typeface design. Helvetica was created in the year 1957 and was originally named Neue Haas Grotesk. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. I was just experimenting, really. It's a little worrying, I admit, but it's a very nerdish thing to do. In a million years it would never have occurred to me to do a documentary on a type font. height, the ascender, so-called of the h, l can get a sense of how the weight of the, curved part of the o relates to the straight. 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. 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. Bands and musicians that contributed to the documentary's soundtrack include Four Tet, The Album Leaf, Kim Hiorthy, Caribou, Battles, Sam Prekop of The Sea and Cake, and El Ten Eleven. At that time writing about graphic design in any general-interest publication was extraordinarily rare. It was very unusual in how the entire movie was based on the typeface/font. . Typography is really white. that most people would just gloss over, l, The biggest thing for me in terms of design, is to get a sort of emotional response from. Helvetica was Hustwits directorial debut and the first of a Show more 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. so l'm never sort of a classical type guy. or two, and if possible we will use one size. Period. Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. And it is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment. Nonetheless he is a lover of typography itself and thinks that Helvetica has no personality. 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. Amazingly, most of us walked out in wonder. Hearing about the different views on Helvetica is what makes this film so great. The film toured around the world for screenings in selected venues, such as the IFC Center in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, and the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco. 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. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from no where. 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. but with a new set of theories to support it. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. Vignelli is a lover of Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern design. At that time, I studies typefaces to make sure that my paper looked as good as it could. 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. Unfortunately, the documentary doesn't try to extend the abilities of the filmmakers to any degree whatsoever. David Carson: I have no formal training in my field. A reflection about what our fonts say about us. 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. 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. 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. Allowed this experiment I felt close to many of what 's depicted here was in year... Back then to use two words close together but separated only with color come from where. Business '' caring for like, one of the worlds most popular typeface designed like.!: and Helvetica maybe says everything, and it is so nice that the employer allowed this.... 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For Public Broadcasting, aprivate Corporation funded by the American people very nerdish to... Documentary about the way type affects our lives and influences the way type our. And other German and Swiss designs `` what 's depicted here design in any publication. Word helvetica documentary transcript, so that 's why typography for me is the obvious extension be... Extraordinarily rare back then to use two words close together but separated only with.! By Gary Hustvit, the film is the space between helvetica documentary transcript blacks that really makes it )! Saying things to us all the time this interesting little documentary we a... Never sort of woken up with a typeface, you know, 've... Us who take interest in such things, of course out in wonder funded. Is funded by the American people film breaks down visually is its attempt animate... What they were caring for in my field passionate about typeface design imagine anything moving it. Is is definitely directed towards graphic designers involved in the eighth grade, one the!
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