The documentary, “Helvitica,” was shocking to me for a few reasons. First of all, I could not believe there were so many experts on Helvetica. On the surface, it doesn’t sound like anything to talk about. It’s a font. I don’t know that I’ve ever used it myself, as most of my teachers over the years have wanted thing in Times New Roman or Courier New (screenplays). But after watching this film, you realize that it’s everywhere. That was another shocking thing. I didn’t realize that Helvitica was all over the place. And maybe that was the point of it in the first place. There was a need for a ubiquitous typeface and Helvetica provided it. Now, it has become like the roads we drive on. We see them every day; but we don’t really notice them. And like they said in the movie, there is really no need to improve it.
Another shocking thing was how much enthusiasm typesetters have for their work. On the surface, it seems like a pretty straightforward job. But when you dig deeper, you see how important their work is. A typeface can make or break anything it’s used in. Advertizements, articles, album covers. These all rely on good typefaces. But again, it’s something most people don’t think about until someone asks them to. I guess that’s one of the secrets to good design: make it so that people don’t realize how good it is.