Fame for a font

>>Helvetica is a fascinating look at the
history of a ubiquitous typeface

by MARK SLUTSKY

Even if you have no idea what it is, you’ve probably seen Helvetica several times already today: in an ad, on the side of a truck, on a street sign or somewhere on your computer screen. If you really haven’t heard of Helvetica, you’re probably in the minority of readers, in this age of Internet-assisted lay design geekery.

But just in case I’m overestimating the general public’s knowledge of typeface history, Helvetica is a font, first released in 1957, of the sans-serif variety. Serifs are the little squiggly bits attached to letters in most fonts designed for print; the very text you’re reading now is a serif font. Sans serif fonts dispense with these and are generally used for larger letters, or shorter groups of them. Look up: this article’s headline is in a sans serif font.

Helvetica is arguably the most well-known and recognizable sans serif font. It’s everywhere: think of the American Airlines and FedEx logos, or the text of the New York City subway system. Or just close this paper, turn it around and look at the American Apparel ad on the back: that’s Helvetica too.

The typeface’s ubiquity and exalted place in the history of modern design is the reason it’s the sole subject of a documentary, Helvetica, directed by Gary Hustwit. Helvetica takes the viewer through the font’s history, beginning in the Swiss type foundry it was created in back in the ’50s, and continuing through to its role in the design revolutions of the following decades.

Hustwit talks to type designers, graphic designers, artists and historians about Helvetica’s impact, and for the most part, it’s a fascinating watch, though it helps to have some interest in the subject of design going in. There are some nice stylistic touches, like showing examples of local Helvetica use as establishing shots when the film switches cities.

By the two-thirds mark, though, the film slows a bit: Hustwit runs out of story to tell, and we learn a little too much about other fonts and magazines like Raygun that challenged Helvetica’s hegemony. Still, there’s a compelling hour or so in there, and if you have any interest in the art of typography, it’s a must see.

Helvetica opens this
Friday, June 6

>> Movie Listings