“Not all fonts are created equal.” Didn’t Thomas Jefferson say that at some point? It would make sense; as one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson knew a thing or two about words and fonts. You know who else knows a lot about fonts? Gary Hustwit, the director the 2007 independent documentary Helvetica, which centers around the font of the same name, graphic design, and typography in general.
One of the biggest things that I took from Helvetica is how much we take font and typography for granted. From a marketing perspective, the words on a company’s advertisement might be the last thing anyone thinks about; their branding is more associated with a symbol than anything. But if Staples or American Airlines (two notable examples of companies who utilize the “Helvetica” font in their logo) decided to change over to the “BADABOOM!” comic-style font, it wouldn’t fit their business model at all, and I’m sure people would be unhappy with the change. Typography is just as much a part of a products branding as a name or symbol is, whether people realize it or not.
Another big takeaway from the documentary was how much work goes into designing fonts and other forms of typography. A trade that is as old as the written word itself, typography is so much more than the “Times New Roman” that everyone uses by default. Typography can be ornately beautiful and fill a wide variety of needs, from marketing and advertising to various forms of academia. Even some of the most “basic” fonts, like “Helvetica”, have an incredible amount of thought and work put into them. It is important for us, as future designers, to find the proper uses for each font.
In short, Helvetica taught me a little about the history of the font, the beauty of typography, and how important both are when incorporating them into design elements. I would recommend the documentary to anyone looking to avoid becoming what Benjamin Franklin (another man who knew a thing or two about words) was talking about in his famous quote: “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain about fonts- and most fools do.”
…I think I’m bad at quotes, you guys.
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