I also hate comic sans…

I watched this documentary a few years ago in undergrad for a newspaper layout design class. However, the irony is that I rarely ever used Helvetica except for headers and occasional titles. There is such an emphasis on the importance of the font and its inspiration for graphic design and advertisement; yet, I have never experienced sincerely using it myself.
At the beginning of the documentary they brought up the argument that type shouldn’t be so expressive instead, the content should drive the expression. For the most part I agree with this. Helvetica is a powerful font in that it is legible, clear, universal, and straightforward. There are no hidden meanings or messages – hence, the reason it is used for many public signs like restroom, subway, phone books, police signs, stamps, etc. However, part of me believes that font should be expressive but only in particular occasions, those of creative, artistic, and expressive manners like album covers, logos (things that embody a brand), etc.
I believe that many modern society advertisements are overcomplicated and too embellished. They have become solely about what grabs the viewers attention, no matter how obscure, sexual, bizarre etc. An overly sexual advertisement featuring exaggerated and expressionist fonts is not going to persuade me to buy shampoo. But Helvetica probably would because it embodies a sense of responsibility, sensibility, and functionality that is powerful when expressed with the right context.