I love that they could make an entire documentary on a font. If you asked me a year ago to name 10 fonts, I would have given you a deer-in-the-headlights stare. This documentary made me realize how much thought goes into the choice of font. How my emotions can be changed by font, and my attitudes towards a brand is affected by font.
Some of my favorite quotes from Helvetica include:
“It’s like being asked what you think about off-white paint.”
“Designers try to cure visual disease.”
“The type casts a secret spell.”
Am I a converted font fanatic after watching this movie? Nope. I think you have to be born with DNA to dream about font (but ask me in 9 months — it might be a different story!). What I do have is a greater understanding about putting much more effort when choosing a font for any project.
There were definitely two different views on the use of Helvetica in modern society. I agree that it has started to look a bit retro, and I had no idea it was the default font on Apple, followed by a default font on Windows, which explains its prevalence in everything.
Regardless — I give the movie an A+. It made me laugh, and has irritatingly made me take a double-look at every sign to see if it’s Helvetica.