SI 520 Graphic Design

FILM NOTES 10/06/2010

Title: “HELVETICA”
By: Gary Hustwit
Year: 2007
• Helvetica font is everywhere
o Is described as beautiful and timeless
• Typgraphic is about the white, it is about the space between the black
• Not that many good typefaces, maybe a 12, according to one interviewee
• Some typefaces are inspired by desire to be legible
• Helvetica emerged in 1957, when there was a need for rational typeface that
could be applied in wide contexts in an intelligible, legible way
• Grids can be used as a tool to create order
• In the 60’s, in took days to make a poster because layers had to be handmade.
Computers brought about enormous changes, and the ability to make changes
quickly.
• In the field of typography, before computer, types were made by hand
• There’s no one general way that type designers work, but most work with a
lower-case h, which tells you whether it’s sans-serif or serif type.
• Helvetica’s form seems exactly right, so it’s hard to see how a designer can
improve it.
• Edward Hoffman said to be the person who came up with Helvetica
• Once Helvetica was introduced, it was a great success and seen to be exactly
what designers were looking for
• Helvetica represents the ideals of corporation: accountable, reliable, responsible
• Adopted by all sorts of corporate and government agencies across the board
• Helvetica became the font of the Vietnam war in the 50s-60s
Specific Questions

• Is it "informational" or "promotional"? support your argument.

I think this movie is informational. It is not trying to promote Helvetica or typography. It is
giving information about its history, its interesting features, and its relationship with
graphic design.

• Who is the primary audience it aimed at?

Graphic designers and people interested in graphic design.

• What is the relevance of it to specific areas/topics of our

course?
Helps to me more aware of the effect of different types. Also, simplicity in type
enhances legibility, and reaches wider audiences.

• According to the film, how does type affects our lives?

There are designs all around us, so type conveys information that is non-verbal. For
example, if you write “I love you” in a strong, harsh type, you are conveying different
information than if you write it in a script type. Likewise if you write “I hate you”, in script,
you are conveying a different kind of information: I love you. Versus I hate you.
The way something is presented, will affect how information is received. The typeface
makes a big difference to how the way the message is dressed.