Going into this, I really didn’t know how one typeface could support an hour and twenty minute long documentary. Though it wasn’t the most enthralling 80 minutes of my life, I appreciated how the director used this one typeface to tie together interesting commentaries on type, design, and culture.
The most surprising part of this documentary was how truly ubiquitous the Helvetica font is in our global culture. The documentarians had innumerable examples of Helvetica being used all over the world in advertising campaigns, branding, public signs, and much more. I had never noticed how much Helvetica I see in my daily life, but now I am much more aware of it.
This brings me to where I stand in the debate over whether Helvetica is totally the best thing that ever happened in the history of typography or a deplorable development. Who knew people held such strong opinions about a typeface? Some of the interviewees speak about Helvetica as if it were designed by God himself. Then there was the one character who likened Helvetica to McDonalds, you eat it because it’s there. He saw the ubiquitous nature of the font as a poor reflection on society as a whole.
I think I’m siding with the majority of the interviewees on this one. Helvetica is nice and that’s about it. The fact that it is unremarkable is what makes it remarkable as a typeface. It leaves the expression to the words themselves.
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