My thoughts on the film Helvetica
As I, for the longest time, have had fun playing around with different fonts and visual tricks using words, I was surprised that I didn’t realize that most typography we see is done in Helvetica. I started to notice it in different places after watching the film. The film itself was quite engaging as it was fun to learn the history of something present in our everyday lives that we never payed attention to, as if it was breathing life into the mundane. Aside from the explaining of Helvetica’s history, I also quite enjoyed how the film visited several different graphic design artists, as it showed all the different approaches people take when using typography. Each one was quite different, and spoke a bit about their background.
Massimo Vignelli
“You can say, “I love you,” in Helvetica […] you can say it with the Extra Bold if it’s really intensive and passionate […] and it might work.” – Vignelli
It was no secret at all that Massimo Vignelli was a big proponent of Helvetica. His work speaks for itself, as he embraced the font’s effectiveness in communicating an idea. As the quote explains, Helvetica is a font that is so malleable, it can be used in wildly different contexts. Helvetica’s alterations in color and boldness open the gate for it being an applicable font in almost any circumstance.
Michael Bierut
“It’s The Real Thing. Period. Coke. Period. Any Questions? Of Course Not.” – Beirut
I’m sure this quote will be used a lot, but it’s so emblematic of Helvetica’s effectiveness. The effect it has had on advertising has been quite revolutionary. This quote perfectly explains why so many corporations had clung on to Helvetica in the first place. There is no clutter, it is clean, legible, and you instantly know what is being advertised. Lack of clutter means less attention is being put on the colors and fonts of an ad, and all that attention goes to the product. It’s no wonder why the font has found its way into practically everything.
Dimitri Bruni & Manuel Krebs
“We can’t do nothing without restrictions. The more restrictions we have, the happy we are.” – Bruni
I can absolutely relate to Bruni’s words here. I sometimes become overwhelmed when I am given too much freedom. I find myself losing my original vision, because I try to fit everything I can into whatever it is I’m making, and I end up with clutter. Restrictions not only allow for innovation and creativity, but also clarity. The result is an art piece that only has what it needs, and no unnecessary elements.
