Until recently typefaces when largely unnoticed to me. While I always had a passion for design and layout I never really took the time to understand and appreciate the small nuances of different typefaces. However since watching this movie and working to design my own alien typeface, I can stop analyzing and appreciating everything type.
The movie Helvetica was completely eye opening and enjoyable. Through the movies amusing personalities I began to get a stronger understanding of the power of type and the emotions that it can evoke. Through type powerful emotions can be conveyed to whoever is reading the words. Depending on the type a designer and develop an entirely different meaning or interpretation to the message.
For example the Coke ad in the movie. The designer reads the ad, with strong powerful and clean tone. “The Real Thing, Period. Coke, Period. Any questions? Of course not!” This is the exact message that the Coke brand was trying to send. “Drink Coke,” its that simple. Because of the strong typeface they chose the message was simple and understood. Had Coke chosen something light and flowing the message could be interpreted in a different manner.
I love Coke and the Coca-Cola branding. But until now I didn’t realize that the “classic” that is stamped under the brand name was in Helvetica. Coke is one of the worlds most recognizable brands, and an icon in the branding world. Apparently even they think Helvetica is a staple of their brand identity.
I also enjoyed the analysis of the AmericaAirlines logo. The simple and clean look has yet to been changed since the inception of the brand. While other logos have changes AA has stayed consistent. From a design perspective the logos that stand the test of time are some of the best.
Watching Helvetica is something I truly enjoyed. I believe that Helvetica and typefaces in general are powerful tools in communication. I have a complete new appreciation for the industry and its meaning.