The Gary Hustwit film about Helvetica raised some interesting points on how typography is reflective of both social change and societal cohesion. It is important to keep in mind that type can be representative of both organizational uniformity and the individual’s creativity.
The Coca-Cola representative made an interesting point about how the typeface used during the 1950’s often accompanied images of the traditional American family unit and the immediacy of purchasing products. There was clearly an overuse of the exclamation point, monochrome film and rounded type that signified a wholesome and almost cartoonish sense of levity for the consumer.
Fast forward ten years. Helvetica is introduced from Central Europe and gives a sense of uniformity, precision, and accuracy for advertisements across the globe. Here the sales rep enumerated these traits as what increased sales over the course of several decades. This opinion, however, was not shared by all of the graphic design community.
Other individuals interviewed stated that the type represented the stifling of the individual and the immobile presence of established free-market capitalism. This sentiment was expressed during the Vietnam war and early ‘8o’s, when pop art lent new and imaginative typefaces to graphic artists everywhere.
Keeping in mind the various representations that typography has for different generations of people, it is clear that type’s presence in the world is necessary for the interpretation of both the creative mind and the unity of a company.