Helvetica

Helvetica

1. Describe Helvetica – what are some core visual characteristics of the font?

Helvetica is simple, straight edged and efficient.

2. Provide a brief history of the typeface. What was so different about Helvetica from other typefaces?

Helvetica was designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann in Munchenstein, Switzerland. Originally the font was named Neue Haas Grotesk but was later changed to appeal to an international market in 1961 to its current title.

3. Choose one of the people in the film, who supported helvetica, explain his/her argument.

Michael Bierut believed that everything, typeface wise, was crap before Helvetica. He compares the beginning of Helvetica to someone walking through the desert with sand caked in their mouth and then being offered a cool glass of water; “the feeling would have been fantastic”. He believed Helvetica to be simple, crisp and concise.

4. Choose one of the people in the film who dislikes helvetica, explain his/her argument
Erik Spiekerman in a sense loathed Helvetica, he believes that it has no rhythm and is less legible then an individual’s handwriting. He even went as far as to say, “Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it’s ubiquitous. It’s like going to McDonald’s instead of thinking about food. Beacause it’s there, it’s on every street corner, so let’s eat crap because it’s on the corner”.

5. Having just watched an entire documentary devoted to a single typeface, what is your position on Helvetica? Explain.

Before the movie I had never really thought about the use of Helvetica, now it seems like its everywhere. I definatly appreciate typefaces more and especially Helvetica.