Understanding Helvetica

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a movie that revolved a singular font. Looking back now I think I found parts of it more interesting than I thought it would be, but it still had flaws. I appreciated learning the history of the font, and in turn learning more about the history of font making and graphic design in general. It was also interesting to get a look into graphic design culture, some of the big names from it, and all the varying professional opinions on such an influential font. It definitely surprised me how often this particular font was used and how I’d never noticed it. However, this is also where it felt like the film began to fail. After a while, opinions and facts seemed to repeat, and the movie felt stretched out to be a little longer than it should’ve been. Overall, though, it was fascinating to get a look at a deeper understanding of Helvetica and the influences it as a typeface can make in peoples lives.

Helvetica Quotes

“Don’t confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn’t mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing.”

—David Carson

This is something I feel is deeply important to graphic design as a whole. It’s essentially the whole philosophy of graphic design; it’s taking words or images and manipulating them for a deeper meaning towards the viewer. If it only had to be legible it wouldn’t be graphic design.

 

“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.” But that’s the type casting its secret spell.”

—Rick Poyner

I like this quote because it represents one of the biggest thoughts I felt the movie was trying to get across to the viewers. That typeface is something we see every day but don’t truly consider it’s effect on us. Our entire opinion about something can be molded by something as simple as the font and we don’t even think about it.

 

“You can say “I love you” in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want it be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it’s really intensive and passionate. And it might work.”

—Massimo Vignelli

This is another quote I think really emphasizes the affect the design of a typeface has on people. Even something as simple as the font being bolder changes how you read, feel, and perceive it in your head. It’s an emotional response that graphic designers have to understand for their work.

Exploring Graphic Design

I have loved art since I can remember, and I’ve always been sure that wherever I ended up in life I would be pursuing art. I discovered graphic design in high school after talking to a guidance counselor about career options; leading me to later job shadow a graphic designer working in the local area. She took on a variety of projects, mainly brand and information design, while working under a printing company. Admittedly I wasn’t completely sold on it at first, but the more I looked into it and thought about it, the more I was convinced that this was where I wanted to be.  Even in the event that after graduation I decide to find something else, I know that my education in graphic design will always be important to my interests.

Brand and Identity Design

The first thing that comes to a lot of peoples minds when you say graphic designs is company logos. I love the idea of being able to channel the energy of a company into their own identity with a design. Figuring out how to create the image and personality of a brand is like solving a puzzle. I used to be apart of an online art community that hosted weekly drawing contests based around a prompt. It’s that same feeling of being challenged on how to convey the idea the best way possible, while also trying to produce something original that stands out from the others.

A Library of Logos — Iconic Logo Designers — Articles on Logos

Book Jacket Design

The other design type that caught my eye on this list was book jacket design. I am a rather avid reader, and the cover of books is always something that’s interested me. Despite the old saying, you’re lying if you say you’ve never immediately judged a book by its cover. I certainly have been tricked into reading several books simply because I adored their covers, even if in the end they didn’t turn out as good as I’d hoped. Similar to brand and identity design, I also revel the idea of being challenged to convey the story and feeling of the book through my imagined design.

Book Cover Archive — Book and Magazine Cover Collection