Helvetica

Helvetica is a documentary directed by Gary Hustwit, released in 2007. The documentary is informational. It introduced the feature and history of this typeface. With many informative interviews with famous and experienced graphic designers and typeface experts added to the story, it provides a comprehensive understanding of Helvetica. The primary audience is graphic and typeface designers. And I also believe it s useful for amateurs who are interested design. This documentary is related to the typeface/font topic of our course. But when it comes to the details in designing the typeface, it s also related to the gestalt and grid principles part of our course. According to the documentary, typeface affects our lives in many aspects. It is connected to mood and emotion. As a way of communication, it is ubiquitous. I believe I will use Helvetica in my future graphic projects. As the interviewees in the film suggested, Helvetica is modern, clear and straightforward. It is accessible and comfortable, fitting into almost every situations. What also leaves a deep impression on me is that Helvetica is a neutral typeface, which means it has less meaning and wont influence conveying messages in the content.

Mengdi Zhang