Before watching the film 'Helvetica', I knew very little about the typeface other than it is used everywhere in the store American Apparel. However afterwards, my knowledge of this font was increased greatly.
'Helvetica' was developed in 1957 in Switzerland by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffman and was originally called 'Neue Haas Grotesk'.'Helvetica' is currently owned by the firm Linotype.
I was surprised to find out that the negative space around the letters used in this font play a big part in creating the type and making it appear as it does today, resulting in the letters looking firm and solid.
I found Erik Spiekermann's reference to the way he sees type amusing as he compares the way he looks at type to the way some people may see a bottle of wine, showing he has a strong passion for type. I also found Matthew Carter's reference to a particular plane journey experienced by him amusing. He mentions a discussion about employment with other passengers where they quote "I thought all type designers were dead?",in return to his answer of a type designer. I found this amusing due to the passenger's stereotypical opinion of type designers.
A new designer to me, was Lars Müller. I really enjoyed watching him justify his definition that 'Helvetica' is the 'typeface of the city', where he is seen standing next to various examples of 'Helvetica' in use in city signage. Another new designer who inspired me and I would like to find out more about was Michael C Place. I found it interesting to see how he designed, without knowing much about the main principles of typography such as type anatomy. I also enjoyed hearing how he found ordinary things beautiful and how he tried to incorporate this in his work. I particularly liked his piece where he uses lots of symbols to create the word ' symbolism'.
The designer Paula Scher, whose work I studied in the previous project featured in this film. I learned how she wanted to be an illustrator and began to learn to illustrate the type to give it personality. She describes 'Helvetica' as being very clean but does also blame it for starting the war!
There are varied opinions of 'Helvetica' by the designers in this film. Erik Spiekermann describes it as being dull and thinks it has become a default whereas Michael Place describes it as still being as fresh as it is now as it was 50 years ago. The emotional aspects of this typeface were featured often: neutral, timeless, modern, beautiful, legible and clear. The technical aspects were mentioned less, an example is where Michael Carter mentions the horizontal terminals and it is described as being "more machined and less manual".
I would say I am pro 'Helvetica' as I agree with Michael Place's explanation of this typeface being timeless. The film mentioned the fact that this typeface can be used to say both "I love you" and "I hate you" which shows that 'Helvetica' can be used in any context and still look appealing.
I really enjoyed watching this film and found it really interesting. I learned a lot from the designers.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the film and got something from it. It stands up to multiple viewings and as you become more familiar with graphic design and the world of type it becomes more interesting and even funnier. Yep, that's the path you've chosen : )
ReplyDeleteAt times this sounds like a Wikipedia entry rather than a reflection. Something students struggle with and is apparent here is wading through what is said, picking out points of interest, comparing/contrasting it in your head and then adding your insight to it (analysing and synthesising the information). You want to avoid reiterating what was said and instead reflect on it. Like, 'David Carson said this and I can see what he means because ...' This is more about how you were touched by this experience, how it affected your previous knowledge and how it may affect your future work. You need to insert you into this equation. This perhaps goes against how you were taught in school and is a tough habit to break. Try not to take things at face value - dig a bit and mull it over before repeating it back again. (I will no doubt be saying this to everyone).