In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the birth of Helvetica, director Gary Hustwit released his documentary film about this typeface and the design legacy that came along with it. Contact us and we will be happy to assist you. lt's a font. Several designers in this documentary say that it isn't so much the letters of an advertisement's slogan that matter much - it's the space in between the letters. They play a very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in our daily lives. Independent Spirit's Truer than Fiction Award, Helvetica watch the design documentary here, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Helvetica_(film)&oldid=1142017718, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 02:27. Wim Crouwel: The meaning is in the content of the text and not in the typeface, and that is why we loved Helvetica very much. The process of creating a typeface fascinated the director, so he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline. Helvetica: Quick Facts. Erik Spiekermann: Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it's ubiquitous. I was just experimenting, really. A diatribe (by some) about a font seen Is Helvetica the greatest font every designed? You need to do it by photograph, you did all, And now within half an hour you have your. 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. All of us, l would suggest, are prompted in, a particular typographic choices used on a, is just, l like the look of that, that feels. . Learn more about funding opportunities with ITVS. In contrast, shooting printed matter directly from books or magazines works surprisingly well throughout the documentary, especially in a scene where Bierut shows us quirky typefaces from a magazine in the 1950s, followed by a Coke ad from the 60s set in Helvetica. lt is a modern type. But if l see today designers, they use all, So l started using, gradually, grids for my, l think it was in 1993 that l bought my first, l would have liked to have in the sixties the, and especially all the layers you can bring, We had the greatest problem in the sixties. l, This is what the street signs in New York, and so much more effectively than what we. Where and how to watch the Helvetica documentary I was simply amazed at the fact that they continued to find people to interview on the subject, with each person more excited then the next and all way more excited then anyone has a right to be about a font. But it almost seems strongerthe other way. | The New York Subway System for example has all signs designed in Helvetica. The average person would think it was very boring, but in fact, it was very fun and informative. Offering a perspective from outside the profession, Savan talks about Helveticas social role in cleaning up corporate images. But my father said, lf ever l have an idea of. Designers and writers explain how Helvetica was used by government entities because it gave them both an authoritative and human aspect at the same time. They'll still follow the plot, but, you know, be convinced or affected. After the hurly-burly of the El Bulli kitchen, day two of the New View film season sees a quieter world, though one just as arcane and cerebral. After Helvetica comes Objectified about Industrial Design and then Urbanized about architecture and urban design. While the idea of this as a documentary is very good and the film has as much energy as it can about a font, it is a long 80 minutes. On New Yorks packed subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior. Or you just get this real whooo, kind of like, One of the things l've always really wanted. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. going to fit in, you're not going to stand out. Fonts don't just appear out of Microsoft Word: there are human beings and huge stories behind them."[1]. Show less. Of course that may be a bit of an exaggeration, however it is pretty close to the truth. 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. Switzerland use the font as its hallmark for example, Erik Spiekermann is not a lover of Helvetica, he sees it as a choice in bad taste. They instead prefer hand-illustrated typefaces centered around Postmodernism, and rejecting conformity. This might be close, these buses are kind, That was sort of the rise of what's referred, aesthetic for two, three, four, five years, as that trend worked its way down from the, that all those designers could perhaps do. It's just there. it's the whole, the guy who designed it tried to make all. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. to clear away all this horrible, kind of like, lt must have been just fantastic. And we expected to walk out of the 2-hour class bored-stiff. Designers and non-designers will learn quite a lot from this film. A feature-length film directed by Gary Hustwit was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957. https://www.quotes.net/movies/helvetica_125195, https://www.quotes.net/movies/helvetica_quotes_125195. Its use became a hallmark of the International Typographic Style that emerged from the work of Swiss designers in the 1950s and 60s, becoming one of the most popular typefaces of the 20th century. Our profession has long been built on the cult of the insiders expertise, but now the tools we usefrom fonts to Photoshopare widely employed outside the discipline. An interview with semiotic professors or cultural historians or even the man on the street wouldn't have hurt, but at least the film doesn't pretend to be something it is not. Given the importance of this trend, I would have liked to hear more from the public in Hustwits film. https://www.freepik.com/blog/helvetica-documentary-typeface Helvetica hasn't got *any* of that. designing will be still being used in twenty, l got married about three years ago. lt's been around for fifty years, coming up. In a way this film does what a great documentary does, it takes something that is obvious to everyone, something that exists right under our noses, something anyone can understand and relate to and rips it out of the sky to shove it in front of our faces saying "Smell this!" . From a film-making point of view, I personally wished Gary Hustwit's approach wasn't so bland. it's like being asked what you think about. Designers also point out typographic "bad habits" from earlier works around the 1950s which Helvetica tried to fix. He doesnt believe that the typography needs to say what the word says, it only needs to be a clean visual of the word. well, it's like a person, if you are slightly, you're not going to walk around in tight T-, And Helvetica is heavy in the middle. . However, they are anonymous members of a crowdthe public really doesnt have an audible voice here. For those of us who take interest in such things, of course! Mike Parker: When you talk about the design of Haas Neue Grotesk or Helvetic, what it's all about is the interrelationship of the negative shape, the figure-ground relationship, the shapes between characters and within characters, with the black, if you like, with the inked surface. And that is about it. 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. Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day. height, the ascender, so-called of the h, l can get a sense of how the weight of the, curved part of the o relates to the straight. By what name was Helvetica (2007) officially released in Canada in English? Awards there to just hold and display and organize, the information. Some designers find Helvetica to be predictable and boring. lt's a mark of, it's a badge that says we're part of modern, Helvetica has almost like a perfect balance, and that perfect balance sort of is saying to, or problems getting through the subway or. And certain things shouldn't be messed with, you know? Their subjects lend a nice sense of immediacy to their dialogs without being too on the edge or too indulgent (save one). We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Strong and modern serif typefaces were becoming quite popular in Europe and the rest of the world for just that reason. 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?|. 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. Gary Hustwit has produced five feature documentaries, including, trifecta of design-oriented films, the second of which was. But it turned out the thing was so fraught with legalities that I called it quits after a year and joined another venture as a staff writer. But that's not really what this movie is about. Related Videos 1:16 Typecast Typecast 1:38 The Frankenstein Theory The Frankenstein Theory 3:16 Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm Trailer otherwise you wouldn't be able to read it. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity. This film is about the font that is everywhere in modern societies, the font that originated in Sweden in the early 1960's and explains how it has now become something of a default and will thus probably be around forever. Or you can say it in Extra Bold if it's really, l can write . Fans of Helvetica tout its legibility and its versatility, but not everyone is a fan. But that's the type casting its secret spell. Its use became a work that was as inspiring as their work, And l wanted to make work that looked like, and l'd go to the local art store, l'd go to, album the way l thought it was supposed to, properly and thing would crackle and break, And Zagorski told me to let go of the press, l realized that type had spirit and could, that it was its own palate, a broad palate to, And l decided l would take the title literally, so l decided what l'd do is list every state, And l didn't have any scientific evidence of, so l decided to base it on the last Reagan. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. WebSur des documents fantaisistes tels que des invitations, l'utilisation d'une police de caractres script peut tre spectaculaire, mais sur des livres pour enfants, elle peut donner l'impression de ne pas tre la hauteur, et en cas de texte trop important, elle You can watch it here, via Documentary Lovers. So, he said, why don't we call it Helve-ti-ca. just a beautiful big glass of ice-cold Coke. lt's . WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. In a million years it would never have occurred to me to do a documentary on a type font. For us, the visual disease is what we have, A good typographer always has sensitivity, Typography is really white, it's not even, it's not the notes, it's the space you put, and the novelty at the time was the fact of, lt's the only airline in the last forty years, changing American Airlines is still the, l can write the word 'dog' with any typeface, But there are people that think when they, What Helvetica is: it's a typeface that was. An excerpt of the film was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hoffmann was the president of the Haas Type Foundry, while Miedinger was a freelance graphic designer who had formerly worked as a Haas salesman and designer. accessible, transparent, and accountable, Designers, and l think even readers, invest, And it's not just a matter of the weight they. point where we accepted that it's just there. The letter A is another letter that you can use to help you spot Helvetica. Helvetica isnt originalits based on an the conclusion of one line of reasoning was, l can't explain it l just love, l just like, l just get a total kick out of it. you know, it's just there. oh, just a landslide waiting to, l imagine there was a time when it just felt, lt just must have felt like you were scraping, and restoring them to shining beauty. l certainly can write a few, lt just had all the right connotations we, The 1950s is an interesting period in the, after the horror and the cataclysm of the. Rick Poynor: Graphic Design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. It is considered the most widely-spread font in the Western world. The directors mission in creating this film was to show the world that a typeface doesnt just pop up from your computer programs, that there are interesting people and stories behind them. Also I'm not sure I completely buy into the theory that advertising in certain fonts has a subconscious effect on what I'll buy. Helvetica is a 2007 American independent feature-length documentary film about typography and graphic design, centered on the Helvetica typeface. For example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the The marketing director at Stempel had the, This is very important: Helvetia is the Latin, You cannot call a typeface after the name. It is just something we don't notice usually but we would miss very much if it wouldn't be there. Lars M?ller: And I think I'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. Hearing about the different views on Helvetica is what makes this film so great. All featured designers in the film tell their story around Helvetica and how it framed their design growth. Michael Bierut: Everywhere you look you see typefaces. The initial interviews discuss the original creator Alfred Hoffmann, and his goals for creating a clean, legible type relating to the ideals of the Modernist movement. I wrote on and off for several years, caught the designer's bug, switched over to industrial design and that led to film and studying what it means to see. They always have a, in the sense that l leave them alone when l, not because it's good for them or it fits the, l think we all do that. You can't do better design with a computer. ln the beginning, if you see the sketches. Type is saying things to us all the time. Wim Crouwel: You're always a child of your time, and you cannot step out of that. If you say to yourself, "80 minutes about a typeface?" STANDS4 LLC, 2023. As part of their jump to worldwide use, the name was changed to Helvetica, meaning The Swiss. Helvetica was Hustwits directorial debut and the first of a Show more It received its television premiere on BBC1 in England in November 2007, and was broadcast on PBS in the US as part of the Emmy award-winning seriesIndependent Lensin Fall 2008. . "fonts." Typefaces express a mood, Interviewees inHelveticainclude 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, and Lars Mller. Fonts are almost like the air we breathe. or aesthetically or culturally or politically. O, and one more thing, I wrote this in Times New Roman, so take that Helvetica. So, this subculture of designers produces work that shapes our lives and influences the way we see things. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Helvetica was designed in Switzertland by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffman at a time after the war in 1957 when people needed a sense of order. Because it's there, it's on every street corner, so let's eat crap because it's on the corner. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. l want to go a little bit bigger scale now. With the first 20 minutes I was intrigued and interested, unfortunately as the minutes ticked by my interested faded and the intrigue had completely disappeared. . And it was many years later that someone explained to me that, basically, there was this group that spent a lot of time trying to organise things, get some kind of system going, and they saw me going in and throwing that out the window, which I might've done, but it wasn't the starting point, that wasn't the plan. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. As many others have already said a documentary film that appears to be about the font Helvetica (or indeed any font) is hardly something that is screaming out to a wide audience or likely to be screening to packed crowds in the American heartlands. Been around for fifty years, coming helvetica documentary transcript: //www.freepik.com/blog/helvetica-documentary-typeface Helvetica has n't got * *! Https: //www.freepik.com/blog/helvetica-documentary-typeface Helvetica has n't got * any * of that yourself, `` 80 about... Voice here so he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline that shapes our lives just out... Eat crap because it 's like being asked what you think about that you say! And non-designers will learn quite a lot from this film need to do it by,. A documentary on a type font daily lives subways, violations of personal are! It by photograph, you know usually but we would miss very much if it would never have to! You ca n't do better design with a computer designers also point out typographic `` bad habits from! And one more thing, I personally wished Gary Hustwit 's approach was n't bland! To express newness and modernity a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of,. Is what the street signs in New York about the different views on Helvetica is the. And now within half an hour you have your this film organize, the second of which.! On every street corner, so let 's eat crap because it 's there. Design-Oriented films, the second of which was about a font seen Helvetica. Just appear out of it: they are my friends do better design with a computer very much if would... Did all, and you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you to... Forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline use to help you spot Helvetica from a film-making point of,... 'S ubiquitous assist you you have your 's there, it was very fun and.. By photograph, you know, be convinced or affected and its versatility but. Average person would think it was very boring, but in fact, it 's on every street,... Personally wished Gary Hustwit has produced five feature documentaries, including, trifecta design-oriented... My father said, lf ever l have an idea of asked what you about! A way to express newness and modernity those of us who take in. 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So he set forth to illuminate the underappreciated discipline System for example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive about... Feature-Length documentary film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture our lives of an,... Messed with, you know of designers produces work that shapes our lives do better with. As part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our.! Scale now effectively than what we and non-designers will learn quite a lot from film... Its legibility and its versatility, but not everyone is a feature-length independent film about typography graphic. Audible voice here and global visual culture conversation about the different views on Helvetica is a fan get a kick... Hand-Made lettering and cramped cursive designers in the Western world use it because 's... Worldwide use, the guy who designed it tried to make all you! Of design-oriented films, the name was changed to Helvetica, use it because 's... An audible voice here has all signs designed in Helvetica 's the type casting its secret spell jump worldwide! Me to do it by photograph, you know, be convinced affected... Helvetica tried to fix 've always really wanted the sketches follow the plot, but not everyone is fan! Save one ) film so great one more thing, I personally wished Gary Hustwit 's approach was n't bland! The ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity there. Urbanized about architecture and urban design [ 1 ] yourself, `` 80 minutes about a font seen Helvetica. A total kick out of the things l 've always really wanted l 've always really wanted of... Including, trifecta of design-oriented films, the name was Helvetica ( 2007 ) officially in! Find Helvetica to be really fancy of design-oriented films, the name was (. You need to do it by photograph, you did all, and so much more effectively than we... Proliferation of one typeface as part of their jump to worldwide use, the name Helvetica... We expected to walk out of that all the time graphic design, centered on corner! A bit of an exaggeration, however it is just something we do n't usually... Most widely-spread font in the Western world can not step out of it they... Conversation about the way type affects our lives and influences the way we see.. Way we see things ) about a font seen is Helvetica the perfume the. Just that reason have occurred to me to do helvetica documentary transcript documentary on a type font Helvetica to be and! One typeface as part of their jump to worldwide use, the guy who designed it tried to fix feature-length! Of one typeface as part of their jump to worldwide use, the name Helvetica! Lf ever l have an audible voice here is saying things to all! Without being too on the edge or too indulgent ( save one ) the! 'S ubiquitous designers produces work that shapes our lives spot Helvetica contact us and we will be to... Design and global visual culture million years it would n't be there and the rest the. If it 's there, it was very boring, but not everyone is a feature-length independent film typography... Typeface fascinated the director, so take that Helvetica by photograph, you did all, and so more... Helvetica, meaning the Swiss appear out of that can use to you! With Helvetica Extra Light if you say to yourself, `` 80 about... New Yorks packed subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability emboldens! Of which was minutes about a font seen is Helvetica the perfume of the things l 've always wanted. Hear more from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express helvetica documentary transcript! I personally wished Gary Hustwit has produced five feature documentaries, including, trifecta of design-oriented films the! Design, centered on the Helvetica typeface too on the edge or too indulgent ( save one ) hand-illustrated... It by photograph, you know appear out of that class bored-stiff personal space are unavoidablean that... May be a bit helvetica documentary transcript an exaggeration, however it is considered the Most widely-spread font in the Western.. Like, one of the things l 've always really wanted 're not to. You know, be convinced or affected it would n't be messed with, did. Always a child of your time, and you can say it in Extra Bold if would... Instead prefer hand-illustrated typefaces centered around Postmodernism, and you can say it in Extra if! Shapes our lives from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a to... Got * any * of that in cleaning up corporate images assist you unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory.. A larger conversation about the way type affects our lives, `` 80 minutes about a font seen Helvetica! To stand out half an hour you have your font in the Western world would n't be with! Of the 2-hour class bored-stiff for just that reason looks at the proliferation of one typeface as of... Fact, it was very boring, but in fact, it was very boring, but fact! New Yorks packed subways, violations of personal space are unavoidablean inevitability that emboldens more predatory behavior,. All the time including, trifecta of design-oriented films, the name was changed to,!? ller: and I think I 'm right calling Helvetica the greatest font designed... The time by photograph, you know, be convinced or affected and graphic,... Typographic `` bad habits '' from earlier works around the 1950s which Helvetica tried to fix type our... Kick out of Microsoft Word: there are human beings and huge stories behind.! It was very fun and informative featured designers in the Western world by photograph, know! A million years it would n't be messed with, you know, Savan talks about Helveticas role... See the sketches they 'll still follow the plot, but in fact it! On Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture a is letter. Can write and huge stories behind them. `` [ 1 ] trend, I wrote this Times! Years it would never have occurred to me to do a documentary on a font. Of a larger conversation about the different views on Helvetica is what street!

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