Personal Response:
Being someone who doesn’t find Helvetica particularly attractive, I was curious and shocked to see that it could be used so often, even with all of its criticism. I initially was never aware of how widespread it was until watching this, but after having seen it I can begin to make more sense of why it has spread like wildfire. A scene from the film that stuck with me was when the magazines from today, were compared with those made in the 50’s. Though the varying fonts, and colors made clarity an issue, I can only imagine how different the world felt to be in during that era compared to now. Graphic Design has a much larger role in the world than I had ever expected.
Stefan Sagmeister
“Ensure it feels like it’s made by humans, for humans.”
This quote feels like a reminder to make sure that you can keep your work organic, and honest. Even though big businesses can be misleading, I feel as though people can tell when a company is telling the truth by the message they are putting out.
David Carson
“Just because something’s legible doesn’t mean it communicates. More importantly, it doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing. So, what is the message sent before somebody actually gets into the material? And I think that’s sometimes an overlooked area.”
I chose this quote from David because it touches on several important questions that I catch myself asking every time I start a project. Not only do you want your message to convey what you’re trying to say, but simultaneously connect with an audience.
Lars Muller
“Perfume of the City”
Was how Lars Muller described Helvetica being invisible in plain sight. Not only do I feel this describes Helvetica perfectly, I feel like it helps to describe other works. For example, some perfumes may stand out more than others for some people. Wether its for a good or bad reason, everyone has a preference. So a favorite graphic designer of yours, may not be a favorite to some others.
