Helvetica - JY

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

Helvetica is a neutral font that looks very simple. It is clean, clear, and has smooth lines, which is why it is mostly used in North America.

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

Helvetica was created in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann in Munchenstein, Switzerland. This was created after the war, wanting a rational typeface that could be used in many different and intelligible ways. This font was originally called Die Neue Haas Grotesk in Switzerland but changed in the 60’s to Helvetica, which is what we still call today, when the font reached to the international market as well.

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

Michael Bierut was one of the people in the film who supported Helvetica. He compared the typefaces used in the 50s and Helvetica and showed how effective Helvetica is. He says that everything before Helvetica was designed was dusty and crappy looking. He also said, “…that must have been like you crawled through a desert with your mouth just caped with filthy dust and then someone offers you a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of water that kind of clear away all this horrible…kind of like…burden of history. It must have been fantastic….”

4. Choose one of the people in the film who dislike Helvetica, explain his/her argument.

Eric Spiekermann finds that Helvetica has lost its individuality and that there seems to be almost like a clone version of it called Arial. It’s a default font and it is too plain. To him, all the letters look the same. He also said, “Most people use Helvetica because it’s ubiquitous. It’s like going to McDonalds instead of thinking about food. Because it’s there, it’s on every 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.

If I had not watched this movie, I would have never realized how often it was used. In a way I do like it but I would also have to agree with Eric Spiekermann that it’s become a default font that I don’t even pay attention to it much. I do prefer having different typefaces used more often rather than just sticking with Helvetica all the time. It wouldn’t hurt to take a risk.