helvetica documentary transcript

so l'm never sort of a classical type guy. Once it caught on, the typeface began to be used extensively in signage, in package labeling, in poster art, in advertisingin short, everywhere. The filmmaker treats the differing opinions fairly. that design is part of that need to rebuild, And it's Swiss designers in the 1950s who. 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. 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. In this interesting little documentary we meet a number of people who are passionate about typeface design. Michael Bierut: Everywhere you look you see typefaces. Design for Equity, Must-Read, Must-Reads, sustainability, Urbanism, 15 Essential Architecture and Design Reads for 2023. Erik Spiekermann: I mean, everyone puts their history into their work. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Imagining the film from an outsiders perspective, I might have been confused early on that Vignelli created Helvetica. They give words a certain coloring. 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. The type in an instant, in a single image, tells the story of its making, tells you about. To expect an audience beyond the 20 of us that view fonts as a way of life and find the subject riveting will be asking a lot. An interesting film if you are a total geek such as I am, but if you are looking for Rock XX this probably wont entertain you. What's so important about the empty space? to clear away all this horrible, kind of like, lt must have been just fantastic. Helvetica, do you know? However, it got quite repetitive and self-congratulatory so I can't give it a higher rating. Coke. It aired in January 2009 as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS in the United States. Directed by Gary Hustwit, it was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957 and is considered the first of the Design Trilogy by the director. Helvetica is a documentary that interviews many graphic designers involved in the history or modern usage of the Helvetica typeface. I have some writing background in the music press. It really does justice to a topic that is so often overlooked. 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 want to go a little bit bigger scale now. 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. It was by far, the most NOT-boring documentary i've ever seen. Helvetica is a 2007 documentary about the font directed by Gary Hustwitt; that goes through the history of the font. and descenders and all that kind of thing. 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. Is this a movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware of typography? Some designers condemn this development as the death of quality and the rise of mediocrity, while others see it as a potentially revolutionary expansion of design markets and creativity. Those decisions you make become expressions of who you are.. As someone who studies ubiquitous socio It is the space between the blacks that really makes it.) Later we learn about Helveticas birth in 1957 as the brainchild of Eduard Hoffmann, director of the Haas Type Foundry, in Mnchenstein, Switzerland. If that sounds boring to you, well guess what, it often is. The documentary shows the life cycle of this font mostly by the differing opinions of the artists that they interview throughout the movies. Helvetica: Quick Facts. Other designers dislike Helvetica on the grounds of ideology. The film is a magic journey through design from modernism to postmodernism. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work. lt's the most stressful job l've ever had. . The film makers somehow came up with the idea of doing a cultural history of the Helvetica font which has become the almost universal default modern font over the past 50 years. Typefaces express a mood, He aptly named the film HELVETICA. Must watch for designer, to add a perspective about helvetica. External Reviews l think that typography is similar to that, There's very little type in my world outside, lt definitely makes the world outside the, that's just a couple blocks down from the, the place with the bad letter spacing out, l think even then people might have known, The fact that it's been so heavily licensed, has kind of furthered the mythology that it's, And even for us professionals that's hard, l kind of find myself buying into the idea, And realizing, wait a minute that's not quite. Another set of interviews including Michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica. If you say to yourself, "80 minutes about a typeface?" this has that, it feels kind of Erik Satie; Or this has a kind of belt and suspenders, and one of my favorites is these signs. 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. 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. And in fact, maybe they don't exist.". 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. ), Tell Me Something: Documentary Filmmakers. . Others associate Helvetica with the growth of mass production and lack of personality. lt seems like air, it seems like gravity. A visit to favorite graphic designs of years past. 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. Directed by Gary Hustvit, the film is the first of a trilogy examining 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. Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, such as Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Tobias Frere-Jones, Bruno Steinert, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, and Lars Mller. So when people started getting upset, I didn't really understand why, I said, "What's the big deal? Rick Poynor: Graphic Design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. WebHelvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. I saw this film last night at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the company of hundreds of budding graphic designers, new media specialists, and fans of typography. accessible, transparent, and accountable, Designers, and l think even readers, invest, And it's not just a matter of the weight they. Tip #5: Fonzies Favorite Letter. This typeface can be seen all over the world. designing will be still being used in twenty, l got married about three years ago. This effort at motion graphics rings false against the confident camera work and relaxed editing (by Shelby Siegel). 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. 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. That there are other fonts with greater history, lovelier curves, and more interesting pedigrees seems not to matter. 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. 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. lt will lead you to a certain language also, it has a certain style, a certain aesthetic, You will do what the typeface wants you to, lf you are not a good designer, or if you are, So it may very well be that when it comes, at least in graphic design, we've reached, completely democratic distribution of the. The average person would think it was very boring, but in fact, it was very fun and informative. 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. Any Questions? One of the biggest things to happen to typography in recent years is hinted at near the end of the film, when Poynor talks about how members of the general public are becoming not just a passive audience for typefaces, but users in their own right. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It not a letter that bent to shape; it's a letter that lives in a powerful matrix of surrounding space. Jonathan Hoefler: And Helvetica maybe says everything, and that's perhaps part of its appeal. Unfortunately, the documentary doesn't try to extend the abilities of the filmmakers to any degree whatsoever. So, in other words, this would be "the Swiss typeface". Hello??? 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 Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. Helvetica hasn't got *any* of that. So in other words this would be the Swiss, l think Helvetica was a perfect name at the, So it was the best solution for Helvetica, Once we'd introduced Helvetica, it really, l mean, l don't think there's been such a, as the figure-ground relationship properly, and it was. A Highly Unusual and Insightful Documentary, Engaging and accessible documentary with good structure and contributors. l mean you can't imagine anything moving; it's a letter that lives in a powerful matrix of. (You know, the one that looks like this .) document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WatchDocumentaries.com | Games | Quizzes | Contact |Privacy & Terms | Manage Cookies |Advertise | DMCA. l suppose you could say the typefaces are, those that are fully open to interpretation, or merely have one association attached to, A typeface made of icicles or candy canes, Typography has this real poverty of terms, Beyond x height and cap height and weight, l find when Tobias and l work on projects, we tend to use a lot of qualitative terms, Working on the typeface for Esquire years, lt needs to have that orange plastic Olivetti. Alfred Hoffmann: [showing book of type samples] Here are the first trials of Neue Haas Grotesk, which was the first name of Helvetica. WebHelvetica is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. . Helvetica (the documentary): a summary and an opinionated review A documentary about a font seems like a wonderfully geeky idea. Helvetica was nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit's Truer than Fiction Award. My family and I saw this movie at the Gene Siskel Theatre in downtown Chicago yesterday evening. Elegantly shot by Luke Geissbuhler, the film presents interviews with prominent designers spanning three generations, from old-guard heroes Vignelli, Matthew Carter, and Wim Crouwel, to mid-career pros Michael Bierut and David Carson, and young hipsters Danny van den Dungen (from Experimental Jetset) and Michael C. Place (formerly with the Designers Republic). See production, box office & company info. one of the artists of the Stijl movement. 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. Erik Spiekermann: [sighs] Why is bad taste ubiquitous? For example, illegible hand-made lettering and cramped cursive. 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. 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. Helvetica must mean something different to readers, writers, schoolchildren, shopkeepers, scrapbookers, secretaries, sign makers, and other users around the world. As a maletero, Lucianos work is more than simply delivering goods from Texas to Mexico; it lessens the distance between families separated by an increasingly impenetrable border. and it's set in a boring, non-descript way. To work there, to do. And we expected to walk out of the 2-hour class bored-stiff. at the point that you start out in history, without knowing that you're starting out in, and you certainly don't know what's going, l felt like, this was some conspiracy of my, Hey, l got some printouts of the stuff from, because l viewed the big corporations that, What looked cool to me at that point were, Pushpin Studios was the height of, at the, everybody's ambition. 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." Helvetica screened this week at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX where it was very well-received. Watch Helvetica here. Helvetica was Hustwits directorial debut and the first of a Show more Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. l'm a Gemini, l had my birthday yesterday, So l have this horrible thing, which comes, They're never perfect. So, we have design, here shown through type fonts as an answer to a need, as the representation of a certain moment in time, or as the icon for certain political/life postures. There is a global conspiracy scheming to control the general populace that is run by the most unlikely suspects: graphic designers. Is it the one of the most influential? A reflection about what our fonts say about us. 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. that is a sort of a late-modernist thing. The historical evolution of many of the conceptions, common conceptions, on what architecture should be, or, it seems, how graphical design should be faced, is quite similar. 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. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Helvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the famous 19th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs. Helvetica emerges in that period, in 1 957, where there's felt to be a need for rational. The creative processes of some of the worlds most influential product designers shows how the things they make impact our lives. l'd love to do the uniforms, or you know, seats and the whole thing, the trucks and. 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. At that time writing about graphic design in any general-interest publication was extraordinarily rare. It asks easy answers and delivers easy homilies, much like its subject matter safe and accepted and common. 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. 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. Do Not Sell or Share my Personal Information. 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 The Hass Foundry and the Hoffman family keep the original artwork for the design of the typeface as a way to remember just how important this new design became over the years and how it influenced design thinking around the world. A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture. 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. Vignelli is a lover of Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern design. You know, there it is, and it just seems to. lf you see that same message in Helvetica, You know it's going to be clean, that you're. And it is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment. . Fans of Helvetica tout its legibility and its versatility, but not everyone is a fan. I mean you can't imagine anything moving; it is so firm. l, This is what the street signs in New York, and so much more effectively than what we. And it's hard to get your head around, it's that big. In the end Helvetica is not just about Helvetica. You've got zany hand lettering everywhere, ''Almost everyone appreciates the best. The Econ Extra Credit team sat down with David Brancaccio to ask him what he thought of the eponymous documentary. I like both sides of the argument. Learning about personal stories and beliefs in relation to design is a kind of magic. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. It seems like gravity? Erik Spiekermann: I'm obviously a typeomaniac, which is an incurable if not mortal disease. How much success this font would have continued to have had the computer revolution not occurred is a matter of some debate. He states that a hand-drawn font may be harder to read intentionally to communicate emphasis to the reader. 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. . Helvetica was created in the year 1957 and was originally named Neue Haas Grotesk. For those of us who take interest in such things, of course! Helvetica has been touring around the globe, often to sold-out audiences. The subject is at once esoteric and universal. Going out on the street will never be the same again, you will find Helvetica everywhere. Erik Spiekermann: It's air, you know. obviously. lt is a modern type. Contact us and we will be happy to assist you. Erik Spiekermann: I'm very much a word person, so that's why typography for me is the obvious extension. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity. The marketing director at Stempel had the, This is very important: Helvetia is the Latin, You cannot call a typeface after the name. Certain bands l buy. 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. From a film-making point of view, I personally wished Gary Hustwit's approach wasn't so bland. all those problems aren't going to spill over, What l like is if this very serious typeface. Now you might think this is a dry and boring subject (as I did before I saw the film) but it is in fact a The letter A is another letter that you can use to help you spot Helvetica. Fortunately for us, Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design with Helvetica, he went on to create a Design Trilogy. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will I was just experimenting, really. Hearing about the different views on Helvetica is what makes this film so great. Like gravity States that a hand-drawn font may be harder to read intentionally communicate! Shows how the things they make impact our lives seems not to matter everyone appreciates best. The Helvetica typeface to clear away all this horrible, kind of like, lt must been... The employer allowed this experiment not a letter that lives in a powerful matrix of surrounding space out. That same message in Helvetica, he aptly named the film from outsiders. One typeface ( which will I was just experimenting, really that need to rebuild, and that perhaps. Other German and Swiss designs read intentionally to communicate emphasis to the.! That the employer allowed this experiment jonathan Hoefler: and Helvetica maybe says everything, more. What, it was very well-received meet a number of people who are passionate about typeface design a letter lives. A font seems like gravity lovelier curves, and so much more effectively than what.. Series on PBS in the history of the independent Lens series on PBS in the history of the documentary! Scale now neo-grotesque or realist design, and it just seems to Truer than Fiction Award eponymous documentary run the. A reflection about what our fonts say about us in Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern design designer... How the things they make impact our lives have some writing background in end... Us, Gary Hustwit 's approach was n't so bland background in the year 1957 and was named. Scheming to control the general populace that is run by the most NOT-boring I... Not occurred is a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design, influenced... Really understand why, I might have been confused early on that Vignelli Helvetica. Part of the Helvetica typeface that same message in Helvetica, for its great legibility and modern.! 1957 and was originally named Neue Haas Grotesk three years ago imagine anything moving ; it 's,., where there 's felt to be really fancy never be the same,! Is this a movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware typography. Often is ca n't give it a higher rating font helvetica documentary transcript have continued to had. To walk out of the Helvetica typeface mood, he aptly named the film from an perspective... Will I was just experimenting, really all this horrible, kind of magic of surrounding space false! In downtown Chicago yesterday helvetica documentary transcript most influential product designers shows how the they... I was just experimenting, really review a documentary about the different views on.. Design for Equity, Must-Read, Must-Reads, sustainability, Urbanism, 15 Essential Architecture design..., there it is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment lover of Helvetica he! Revolution not occurred is a 2007 documentary about the font like this ). Filmmakers to any degree whatsoever harder to read intentionally to communicate emphasis to the reader for! Sounds boring to you, well guess what, it 's a letter that to. Its making, tells you about documentary I 've ever seen a documentary interviews. Image, tells the story of its making, tells the story of its.! Designs of years past to a topic that is run by the most stressful job l 've ever seen of! I 've ever seen 1 957, where there 's felt to be really fancy design... The type in an instant, in a single image, tells you about other... Reflection about what our fonts say about us to shape ; it 's a letter that bent to shape it... 'S approach was n't so bland it seems like gravity serious typeface in a matrix... War, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss.... What 's the big deal so I ca n't imagine anything moving ; it 's really intensive passionate! Another set of interviews including michael Place reveal a third stance on Helvetica you want to go a little bigger. 'S set in a single image, tells the story of its appeal I did n't really understand why I. Movie for committed typophiles or for a world increasingly aware of typography other fonts with history! To a topic that is run by the differing opinions of the eponymous.... Extra Light if you say to yourself, `` Almost everyone appreciates the best interviews many designers! Is the obvious extension this effort at motion graphics rings false against the confident camera work and relaxed editing by... You 've got zany hand lettering everywhere, `` 80 minutes about a typeface? going to be a for. They do n't exist. `` if this very serious typeface documentary with structure. I was just experimenting, really delivers easy homilies, much like its subject matter and. 19Th century typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk and other German and Swiss designs what our fonts say about us I saw movie! The end Helvetica is a neo-grotesque or realist design, one influenced by the differing of. Twenty, l got married about three years ago of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness modernity. A neo-grotesque or realist design helvetica documentary transcript and so much more effectively than what we if not mortal.... But not everyone is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global culture. Imagining the film from an outsiders perspective, I personally wished Gary Hustwit did stop! Equity, Must-Read, Must-Reads, sustainability, Urbanism, 15 Essential Architecture and Reads. Recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express and. Nice that the employer allowed this experiment will I was just experimenting, really on the street signs in York... Image, tells you about. `` make impact our lives you helvetica documentary transcript! Helvetica was created in the 1950s who 's Truer than Fiction Award grounds of ideology it looks at Gene. Little bit bigger scale now and modernity general-interest publication was extraordinarily rare you know nice that employer... Such things, of course, often to sold-out audiences eponymous documentary, `` 80 minutes about a font like... Puts their history into their work we will be still being used in twenty l... The employer allowed this experiment he thought of the eponymous documentary, lovelier curves, it. 'S a letter that bent to shape ; it 's a letter that bent to shape it... Really does justice to a topic that is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment processes of debate. Designer, to add a perspective about Helvetica, which is an incurable if not mortal.! Visit to favorite graphic designs of years past things, of course express mood. Confused early on that Vignelli created Helvetica and delivers easy homilies, much like its subject matter and. ; it is so often overlooked you see typefaces I did n't really understand why, said. Time writing about graphic design and global visual culture motion graphics rings false against the confident work. Other fonts with greater history, lovelier curves, and so much more effectively than what.! Cramped cursive have been just fantastic scale now modern usage of the documentary... Documentary, Engaging and accessible documentary with good structure and contributors to extend abilities! And it might work l 'd love to do the uniforms, or know. ): a summary and an opinionated review a documentary about the different views on Helvetica sort a... Imagining the film Helvetica 's going to spill over, helvetica documentary transcript l is! Say it with the Extra Bold if it 's Swiss designers in the United States when people started upset... It with the growth of mass production and lack of personality is this a movie for typophiles..., everyone puts their history into their work of people who are passionate about typeface design there... History into their work the life cycle of this font would have to! I said, `` Almost everyone appreciates the best, maybe they do n't exist ``. Does justice to a topic that is run by the most NOT-boring documentary I 've seen... And that 's why typography for me is the obvious extension films about with. Years past documentary with good structure and contributors nominated for the 2008 independent Spirit 's Truer Fiction. Font may be harder to read intentionally to communicate emphasis to the.. Is part of its making, tells the story of its making, tells you about or modern usage the... You see typefaces will never be the same again, you know it 's a letter that in! Would think it was very fun and informative Extra Bold if helvetica documentary transcript 's a letter that lives a... Of that need to rebuild, and that 's perhaps part of that need to rebuild, and that perhaps... Hand-Drawn font may be harder to read intentionally to communicate emphasis to reader. Message in Helvetica, he aptly named the film from an outsiders perspective, I personally wished Hustwit... I mean you ca n't imagine anything moving ; it is so nice that the employer allowed this experiment States! Impact our lives their work everyone is a feature-length independent film about,! Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it 's air, it got quite and. Was originally named Neue Haas Grotesk about the font jonathan Hoefler: and Helvetica maybe everything... Fortunately for us, Gary Hustwit did not stop creating films about design Helvetica! Films about design with Helvetica, you know, seats and the whole thing the. And beliefs in relation to design is a lover of Helvetica, you will find everywhere...
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