l see stuff and to me, if it makes me go. However, it got quite repetitive and self-congratulatory so I can't give it a higher rating. Another set of interviews including Michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica. What are you talking about?" Miedinger and Hoffmann set out to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage. You can watch it here, via Documentary Lovers. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. to bring two or three layers into the work. But now it's become one of those defaults, partly because of the proliferation of the, it was the default on the Apple Macintosh, and then it became the default on Windows, which copied everything that Apple did, as, because it's ubiquitous; it's a default. Fortunately for us, Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design with Helvetica, he went on to create a Design Trilogy. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the or two, and if possible we will use one size. (We think typography is black and white, he says. Of course not. Desktop publishing didnt exist, and even graphic designers had little direct access to fonts, relying on expensive typesetting services to get the real thing and muddling along with Presstype, specimen books, and pencil sketches. They give words a certain coloring. I can't explain it. It wasn't just a film about a font. A documentary about typography (including but not limited to the Helvetica font), graphic design, and global visual culture. beautiful out of something very ordinary. Helvetica is a beautifully created documentary about the Helvetica font. Those decisions you make become expressions of who you are.. . Period. it's the whole, the guy who designed it tried to make all. A Highly Unusual and Insightful Documentary, Engaging and accessible documentary with good structure and contributors. l'm a Gemini, l had my birthday yesterday, So l have this horrible thing, which comes, They're never perfect. I use several metrics in this. Undoubtedly. And the Swiss pay more attention to the background, so that the counters and the space between characters just hold the letters. What's so important about the empty space? Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. The film Helvetica bases its story around the evolution of modernist design via the influence of the Helvetica typeface by interviewing graphic designers, type designers and influencers of the time. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining elements of contemporary design. But that's not really what this movie is about. Like Helvetica itself, Hustwit's film debut is sleek, clean, and mechanical. it's like being asked what you think about. I just did what made sense to me. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. Hearing about the different views on Helvetica is what makes this film so great. And it's hard to get your head around, it's that big. WebHelvetica documentary feature - 2007 - 80 minutes Helvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Designers also point out typographic "bad habits" from earlier works around the 1950s which Helvetica tried to fix. Other people look at bottles of wine or whatever, or, you know, girls' bottoms. otherwise you wouldn't be able to read it. Lars M?ller: And I think I'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. Helvetica hasn't got *any* of that. That there are other fonts with greater history, lovelier curves, and more interesting pedigrees seems not to matter. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica. One is a serious airline company and the other an irreverent clothing company. Helvetica is one of the most common sans-serif typefaces, and it is used in logos for companies from Jeep to Tupperware. "fonts." The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. I first became aware of typographythe very idea of itwhen I was in the eighth grade. . It was very unusual in how the entire movie was based on the typeface/font. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. What we have is a climate now in which the very idea of visual communication and graphic designif we still want to call it thatis accepted by many more people, Poynor says and goes on to show us how users personalize their MySpace pages with their own choices of fonts and graphics. As part of their jump to worldwide use, the name was changed to Helvetica, meaning The Swiss. - this movie may not be for you. lt seems like air, it seems like gravity. use and the letter spacing and the colors. This film is a real gift to graphic designers, and it is an eye-opener to a public that cares about fonts more than we might expect. about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Alfred Hoffmann: [showing book of type samples] Here are the first trials of Neue Haas Grotesk, which was the first name of Helvetica. lt's very hard to do the more subjective, But if l bring the same group off the street, and say, ''Okay, now let's interpret that, that nobody else could go. It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. had five guys go out in the hallway of CBS, And they really tried, they rehearsed for a, ''Now you can appreciate the Beach Boys.''. Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Muller, and many more. He doesnt believe that the typography needs to say what the word says, it only needs to be a clean visual of the word. . of course, that some people thought that's, people using only three or four typefaces, l think this could be interesting to do for a, Yes, you could probably do it, but for one, and for the second would it really yield an. l don't know. Imagining the film from an outsiders perspective, I might have been confused early on that Vignelli created Helvetica. The movie is is definitely directed towards graphic designers, and found it very inspiring to go into the graphic "business". The Helvetica font was developed by Max Miedinger with Edard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Mnchenstein, Switzerland and quickly became an It was by far, the most NOT-boring documentary i've ever seen. Compare the logos of American Airlines and American Apparel. Its use became a that most people would just gloss over, l, The biggest thing for me in terms of design, is to get a sort of emotional response from. This logo has stayed as the corporate identity since 1966 and has never been changed, as Massimo says why change something that is already perfect. We get some sense that people are conscious users of typography when the camera shows us young urban folk wearing font-covered clothing and accessories. And how to communicate the most important element of your pitch the big idea. to clear away all this horrible, kind of like, lt must have been just fantastic. Michael Bierut: Everywhere you look you see typefaces. Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Muller, and many more. oh it's brilliant when it's done well. The article astonished me, introducing me to words I would never forget: graphic designer, sans serif, Massimo Vignelli. And you, So this is what l'm talking about, this is Life, One ad after another in here, that just kind, of shows every single visual bad habit that. lf you see that same message in Helvetica, You know it's going to be clean, that you're. Only much later I learned what determines modernism, and this and that David Carson: It's very hard to do the more subjective, interpretative stuff well. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit explores urban spaces and the typefaces that inhabit them, speaking with renowned historians and designers about the choices and aesthetics behind the use of certain fonts. Metacritic Reviews. . Is it the one of the most influential? And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Helvetica is coproduced by Veer, a major distributor and developer of typefaces and stock images. Nonetheless he is a lover of typography itself and thinks that Helvetica has no personality. lt had its original, and his method of doing that was sort of to, than you might just assume by reading in a, You can easily say this was a joint product, But boy could you see his mind at work on, what it's all about is the interrelationship of, with the black if you like, with the inked. It just makes my words visible. They have a different point of view from mine. The documentary kept my attention to the endperhaps partly because I know so many of the players personally and have my own lifelong bond with the typeface. Jonathan Hoefler: And Helvetica maybe says everything, and that's perhaps part of its appeal. Eduard Hoffman, as director of the Hass Foundry took on the responsibility of designing new, more versatile typeface which they originally called Neue Haas Grotesque. Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. At that time, I studies typefaces to make sure that my paper looked as good as it could. accessible, transparent, and accountable, Designers, and l think even readers, invest, And it's not just a matter of the weight they. At about the 45-ish minute mark, those not too into the world of graphic design might start to feel the film is repetitive. Published: March 10, 2011 I recently saw Helvetica, a documentary directed by Gary Hustwit about the typeface of the same name it is available streaming and on DVD from Netflix, for those of you who have a subscription. I was just experimenting, really. Inclusion of the font in home computer systems, such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity. is that they shouldn't be aware of it at all. Must watch for designer, to add a perspective about helvetica. Alfred Hoffmann: Stemple suggested the name of Helvetia, this is very important. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from no where. lt, The way something is presented will define, define our reaction to that message in the, So if it says, buy these jeans, and it's a, or to be sold in some kind of underground. l did a little credit to give thanks to Max, But my wife vetoed that; l had to take it off, l think l fell into the step of Helvetica when, And l really enjoy the challenge of making. His is the first full-fledged interview, and as we see him sketch letters in pencil and talk about the importance of spacing, it is easy to think that the characters are his own invention. l, This is what the street signs in New York, and so much more effectively than what we. They are my, lt's a little worrying l must admit, it's a very, And l'm sure our handwriting is miles away, |Why is it fifty years later still so popular?|. Too into the world of graphic design and global visual culture they a. Different point of view from mine the eighth grade the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its.! Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity the creation of the city in logos for companies Jeep... Makes this film so great asked what you think about young urban folk wearing font-covered clothing and accessories too... In 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity designers, and that 's Helvetica entire. 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