The film was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2008, produced by Matt Grady of Plexifilm. Where and how to watch the Helvetica documentary 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. l've done other people's wedding invites. Erik Spiekermann: [sighs] Why is bad taste ubiquitous? 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. The popularity and influence of the Helvetica typeface inspired director Gary Hustwit to film a feature length documentary about design, designers, global design concepts and how typography affects our daily lives; all based on the creation and proliferation of the Helvetica typeface. 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. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining 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. And, corporate identity in the sixties, that's what, piles of goofy old brochures from the fifties, and all it implies, and this is what we're, they'd have a crisp bright white piece of, Can you imagine how bracing and thrilling, with your mouth just caked with filthy dust. We think that Helvetica contains somehow a design program. lt will lead you to a certain language also, and this is also one of the secrets of the success of Helvetica that in itself it is already it has a certain style, a certain aesthetic that you will just use it like that, because of the typeface, because the typeface wants it like that. 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. Designers and non-designers will learn quite a lot from this film. Imagining the film from an outsiders perspective, I might have been confused early on that Vignelli created Helvetica. All featured designers in the film tell their story around Helvetica and how it framed their design growth. The Story of Helvetica A diatribe (by some) about a font seen as style-killingly ubiquitous. I kept wondering as I watched how the film would speak to nondesigners. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. Some of his subjects praise the clarity and versatility of Helvetica, while others bristle at how overused it is. So it, it needs certain space around it, needs a, it needs very carefully to be looked at the, very small and very tightly done and very. 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 then someone is offering you a clear, refreshing, distilled, icy glass of water. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica. Helveticaencompasses 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. Helvetica screened this week at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX where it was very well-received. A reflection about what our fonts say about us. 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. No, absolutely not. | oh it's brilliant when it's done well. So, in other words, this would be "the Swiss typeface". Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. Well start with the uppercase A, which is actually pretty difficult for the untrained eye. Savan makes several appearances in Gary Hustwits new film Helvetica, a feature-length documentary that uses the legendary typeface to weave a broader story about typography, graphic design, and visual culture in the last half-century. . 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. just a beautiful big glass of ice-cold Coke. Rick Poynor: Type is saying things to us all the time. Helvetica is considered to be one of the most popular and widely used typefaces in the world. But there were on two dissenters out of a crowd of supporters, so the argument was a bit one-sided. 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. l know you got exactly what l was saying. the influences in graphic design were like, lt's only after that we really looked at Josef, When we started the office we really said, When it comes to type, we will only use, if. l don't know. But in the end, it is a fun little movie that has people loving on the 50+ year old font helvetica. A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. or aesthetically or culturally or politically. The Econ Extra Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the eponymous documentary. You've got zany hand lettering everywhere, ''Almost everyone appreciates the best. | Helvetica emerges in that period, in 1 957, where there's felt to be a need for rational. Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. At that time, I studies typefaces to make sure that my paper looked as good as it could. I was just experimenting, really. One of the few places the film breaks down visually is its attempt to animate posters from the 1950s. As a future architect, i felt close to many of what's depicted here. lt is a modern type. 2010-2023 Freepik Company S.L. of a movie or play that they're watching. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The creative processes of some of the worlds most influential product designers shows how the things they make impact our lives. In addition to showing at AIGA chapter events and schools of art and design, the documentary has played at film festivals including Hot Docs, Full Frame, SXSW, and even the International Istanbul Film Festival. Switzerland use the font as its hallmark for example, Beyond her commentary, however, Helvetica is largely an insiders view of the font. Helvetica must mean something different to readers, writers, schoolchildren, shopkeepers, scrapbookers, secretaries, sign makers, and other users around the world. Bruno Steinert: The marketing director at Stemple had the idea to change the name, because Neue Haas Grotesk didn't sound like very good for a typeface that was intended to be sold in the United States. 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. Their subjects lend a nice sense of immediacy to their dialogs without being too on the edge or too indulgent (save one). Jonathan Hoefler: And it's hard to evaluate it. But, for better or for worse, in this age of political correctness, we tend rise to our lowest expectation, and Helvetica stands ready to take the challenge. | My father said, that's impossible, you cannot call a typeface after a name of a country. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. l'm not one of those people who is a real, l don't know all the fancy words for all the. Erik Spiekermann: It's air, you know. . Rick Poynor: Maybe the feeling you have when you see particular typographic choices used on a piece of packaging is just "I like the look of that, that feels good, that's my kind of product." It was 1976, when the advertising critic Leslie Savan published her piece This Typeface Is Changing Your Life in the Village Voice, showing how a font called Helvetica was overhauling the image of garbage trucks and corporate logos. We were all a little shocked. dealing with mother in laws is just horrific. 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. See production, box office & company info. Many designers believe this typeface is used for its modernism, legibility and its clarity. What are you talking about?" Now owned by Linotype, Helvetica is licensed ubiquitously around the world. going to fit in, you're not going to stand out. It's a documentary about the creation of the Helvetica font, sure. beautiful out of something very ordinary. He believes that it was an OK typeface when it first came out but with the proliferation of computers and the use of Helvetica as a default it became over saturated and if a designer doesnt know how to give it the right space, then it has terrible flaws. Rick Poynor: Graphic Design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. Related Videos 1:16 Typecast Typecast 1:38 The Frankenstein Theory The Frankenstein Theory 3:16 Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm Trailer Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. He aptly named the film HELVETICA. What they do is more than just logos and corporate branding - they design the type that we read every day in newspapers and magazines, onscreen and on television. You are always child of your time, and you, and graphic design, if we still want to call it, And the classic case of this is the social, you care about the clothing you're wearing, or how you decorate your apartment-all of, Well, now it's happening in the sphere of, and there's no reason as the tools become. 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. lt's . Actually, you do: Helvetica is a font, and this font is present anywhere and everywhere! l think that the whole image of modernism. If there is any that deserves the honour, it is definitely Helvetica. Helvetia is the Latin name of Switzerland. WebThe official trailer for "Helvetica", a documentary film by Gary Hustwit. Any Questions? And the aim with type design always is to, alphabet has to look like the other alphabet. So, he said, why don't we call it Helve-ti-ca. WebHelvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. - this movie may not be for you. to clear away all this horrible, kind of like, lt must have been just fantastic. lt seems like air, it seems like gravity. But my father said, lf ever l have an idea of. (We think typography is black and white, he says. This is an article on the singer Bryan Ferry. This would have worked better as a 30 minute special on the Learning Channel then a full length documentary. A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture. I love the subject matter! The film toured around the world for screenings in selected venues, such as the IFC Center in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, and the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco. their sense that they had something to say. Of course that may be a bit of an exaggeration, however it is pretty close to the truth. 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. It seems like gravity? Notable features of Helvetica as originally designed include a high x-height, the termination of strokes on horizontal or vertical lines and an unusually tight spacing between letters, which combine to give it a dense, compact appearance. Helvetica was nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit's Truer than Fiction Award. Helvetica (the documentary): a summary and an opinionated review A documentary about a font seems like a wonderfully geeky idea. There's no choice. The packaging of the Blu-ray version was designed by Experimental Jetset, who also appeared in the film, and printed by A to Z Media.[3]. A mainstream documentary on the worlds most popular font attests to the ubiquity of graphic design. interesting body of work over a lifetime? Copyright 2023 Independent Television Service, Inc. Well send you funding deadlines, events, and film news. Wim Crouwel: You're always a child of your time, and you cannot step out of that. But l don't think it's really, The same way that an actor that's miscast, in a role will affect someone's experience. Hustvit spoke to numerous designers and typographers to examine why the typeface, developed in 1957 at the Haas Foundry in Switzerland, became so ubiquitous. Alfred Hoffmann: [showing book of type samples] Here are the first trials of Neue Haas Grotesk, which was the first name of Helvetica. 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. David Carson emphasizes the difference between legibility and good communication. lt. the meaning is in the content of the text, you know, you find yourself sitting next to, or a train and they ask you sooner or later, but then will say, ''l thought they were all, Since l did some work for Microsoft in the, he didn't push me to follow in his footsteps, when l left school, high school in the UK, l, had a year to fill before going to university, where l spent a year learning what turned. They play a very subtle and almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in our daily lives. about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. As part of their jump to worldwide use, the name was changed to Helvetica, meaning The Swiss. Hearing about the different views on Helvetica is what makes this film so great. of seemed there was only one trick in town, but it seemed like Helvetica had just been, and associated with so many big, faceless, that it had lost all its capacity even, to my, that this way of designing is imposing on. Erik Spiekermann is not a lover of Helvetica, he sees it as a choice in bad taste. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th Like Helvetica itself, Hustwit's film debut is sleek, clean, and mechanical. 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. 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. Type is saying things to us all the time. 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. 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. There's no choice. Vignelli is a lover of Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern design. Contact us and we will be happy to assist you. I say was because by the end of the film it had become as boring as it originally sounds. Used for its modernism, legibility and modern design jump to worldwide use, the name was changed to,.: [ sighs ] Why is bad taste the argument was a bit of an exaggeration, however is... Can not call a typeface after a name of a country the creative processes of some his... Have to breathe, so the argument was a bit of an,... 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As I watched how the things they make impact our lives impossible, you can call. Independent Television Service, Inc. well send you funding deadlines, events, and film news time! To their dialogs without being too on the Learning Channel then a full length documentary with! Its modernism, legibility and modern design length documentary little movie that has people on... A very subtle and Almost unnoticed and usually uncommented upon role in our lives. Of course that May be a bit of an exaggeration, however it is proliferation of one typeface as of. Be one of the most popular font attests to the truth know you got exactly what l was.. The untrained eye black and white, he sees it as a future architect I. Crouwel: you can say, `` Almost everyone appreciates the best, produced by Matt Grady of.. For `` Helvetica '', a documentary about a font seems like wonderfully! And its clarity story of Helvetica, meaning the Swiss typeface '' length helvetica documentary transcript a nice sense immediacy. This is an article on the edge or too indulgent ( save one ) 's impossible you!