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October 29, 2007

Happy 50th Birthday, Helvetica!

As Sofia wrote, a person’s handwriting can reveal certain personality traits, but what does a font choice say about you? When you see a letter written in Times New Roman, do you think that person is old school? What is your favorite typeface? I confess that I liked the cutesi-ness of Comic Sans when I was young, but now I favor the simplicity of Arial.

One font that may be most ubiquitous of all is Helvetica, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Companies that use the typeface in its logos include Apple, American Apparel, and Panasonic. According to devotees and graphic designers quoted in the BBC News Magazine, Helvetica conveys a range of feelings, ranging from efficiency and reliability to blandness.

There’s even a documentary on the typeface, titled Helvetica. Director Gary Hustwit speaks about his interest in the font:

Why make a film about a typeface, let alone a feature documentary film about Helvetica? Because it's all around us. You've probably already seen Helvetica several times today. It might have told you which subway platform you needed, or tried to sell you investment services or vacation getaways in the ads in your morning paper. Maybe it gave you the latest headlines on television, or let you know whether to 'push' or 'pull' to open your office door.

Since millions of people see and use Helvetica every day, I guess I just wondered, "Why?" How did a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer in 1957 become one of the most popular ways for us to communicate our words fifty years later? And what are the repercussions of that popularity, has it resulted in the globalization of our visual culture?

Screenings of Helvetica will be held in England, Georgia, and Denmark in November and is showing at the IFC Center in New York City until tomorrow, October 30th. Click here for listings.