Helvetica!
Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.
I was at first sceptical about going to see this film. Basically I didn’t think it would be that interesting… a film about a typeface?!
How very wrong I was. Though the film was filled with historical information about the text but never once did it bore me. It was great that some of the music used was by one of my favorite instrumental bands, El Ten Eleven. The film was nicely shot, humerous, creative framing , bright colors and had a nice flowing movement from scene to scene . It was great to learn the history behind the typeface Helvetica which was originally named, “Neue Haas Grotesk”. I liked how the film had a mix of people who love and respected Helvetica/used no other typeface BUT Helvetica but also interviewed and showed a few other artists who despised Helvetica and were strongly influenced by the post-modern movement. It was refreshing to hear people criticise Helvetica and i respect the directors choice to include those people and that era in the film. In the end I left feeling torn between Helvetica and everything else…but feeling inspired to combine the two styles together in the future.
4 years ago • Notes
