Helvetica is ubiquitous. And the first half of Gary Hustwits’ documentary about the font tries to find as many people to say so in as many ways as possible. It’s worth sitting through just to hear typographer Mike Parker explain how Helvetica came out of a Swiss design aesthetic in the 1950’s and 60’s which really focused on the figure-ground relationship and the negative space between the letters. These blocks of space hold the words together into the strong beautiful shapes.
It is incredible to take an up close look at the original Helvetica like a typographer might. Notice the curves and swells and edges of the letters; the plump and strong spaces in between them and how it helps them stand alone and even better together. There is much discourse about the power of fonts and their ability to send a brand message. Helvetica is clearly the most versatile to that end. But on a much more simplistic and visual level, it is a font that holds space in a way that adds weight not only the word it is holding up, but to the space all around it- be it the street, a page, or a building.
February 09, 2009, 12:03pm
