Ah. Helvetica... Where to begin? Okay for those of you that don't know Helvetica: The movie revolves around one thing, Helvetica: the font. A movie about typography? Hmmm... regardless of it's 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, not gonna lie, watching 90 minute documentary about one type face didn't sound like the best way to spend a Thursday afternoon. But boy I'm glad I did.
There's so much to love here, and to really appreciate. Never before did I think a font could carry so much socio-political baggage, or be accused of endorsing capitalism - turns out there is, and it's Helvetica.
There's definitely a good balance here, there's no bias, no agenda; it's just a documentary about an incredibly common type face. It's funny, we see Helvetica EVERYWHERE, but this begs the question why? Why is font that was born in the 1950's so commonly used today? Personally, I'm of the assumption that's it's just a beautiful font. Timeless even. I don't think there's all that much more to say about it. Clearly, that opinion is by no means universal. World renowned designers like Stefan Sagmeister and Erik Spiekermann are clearly not fans, with the (fair) argument that's it's just... dull. Overused, contrived and boring. The idea that Helvetica somehow restricts creativity and innovation. And it's not like they haven't got a point, Helvetica is over used, evident by the modernist movement. But personally, no matter how many logo's, flyers, posters or jumbo jets I see it plastered on. I still can't somehow not like it? And I guess that's the appeal. To the average person it's a font that's impossible to find fault in. It's anonymous and simple - yet holds enormous power, (and in my opinion is quite lovely). Mid way through, that socio-political baggage I mentioned earlier rears it's ugly head. It comes from the fact that Helvetica is used by several hundred major world wide brands. Leading the font to be associated with Capitalist ideals, in turn created a stigma with designers.
There's a lot to appreciate, and there's something here anyone (designer or not) can find interesting. It's an insightful window into the design industry, the importance of a corporations aesthetic and a neat history lesson thrown in for good measure. Discovering the cultural, and historical importance of nothing more than a type face was extremely enlightening as a hopeful practicer of design. There's an interesting point made within the first few minutes of the documentary: that the designer controls quite literally anything and everything the public see's and absorbs, we add voice to context. Something that made me realise this what I want to so with my life.
9/10
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