Movies: Helvetica
Recently, I’ve been very interested in typefaces and design, sort of as a hobby. I have no formal training, but I’ll look at a logo, or a brochure, or a sign, and ask, “what is it trying to accomplish,” immediately followed by, “how is font choice, layout, and color scheme helping or hindering that goal?”
Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit, is a film that is all about these sorts of questions. The film looks at changes in the world of design over the past fifty years by studying the history and use of one of the most ubiquitous typefaces in the world, the titular Helvetica.
How can a movie about a typeface be interesting? Well, it may not be that interesting. In the film, Erik Spiekermann (who has a very interteresting blog that I’ve been following since seeing the movie) says, “Other people look at bottles of wine, or girls’ bottoms, or whatever. I get a kicks out of looking at type.” So, it’s definitely not for everyone. Personally, I would say there’s something about the curve of a girl’s bottom that even the elegant lines of Garamond can’t match. But I do think there’s a place the for appreciation of type, and the role it plays in our lives. This film evokes exactly that appreciation.
Choice quotes that show the extremes of the dialogue that has been occuring in design over the past 50 years:
Wim Crouwel sums up the modernist perspective, and their view on Helvetica in one line: “The meaning is in the content of the text and not in the typeface, and that is why we loved Helvetica very much.”
David Carson illustrates the other side: “If something is a very important message, and it’s said in a boring, non-descript way, the message may be lost.”
“I mean, that doesn’t say caffeinated… It’s just sitting there! There’s nothing caffeinated about it! There’s nothing extramarital about that. There’s no sunshine here! That’s not a fun sandlot.”
Of course, there’s a lot more nuance to the positions of these designers than a few choice words can show. If you are at all interested in the way the form of communication impacts its content, I recommend Helvetica.