Helvetica

It’s so weird to me that today was the first day I ever really sat down and thought about font. It took watching this documentary for me to realize that I have been living a generally unconscious life. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I have passed a street sign or read an ad without ever really seeing the font. Well….I guess that’s a lie–I would only notice the unique fonts like comic sans or chalkboard but I never saw the fonts that I interacted with the most.

I found this documentary amusing because it exposed the brains and corky personalities behind the typefaces I see everyday. I know that typography and fonts are essential to visual design but I didn’t realize that a font could actually be able to make me feel something without even knowing it.  

One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary for me was the interview with Alfred Hoffman (Eduard Hoffman’s son). I thought it was fascinating to hear about the history of Neue Haas Grotesk(thank gosh they changed the name). I really appreciated being able to see the file folder with Eduard Hoffman’s notes on it. He created a font that has remained a mainstay in our society for over fifty years by drawing, peer-reviewing and revising. This hit home for me because this is how I work creatively. Hoffman had no idea what an impact his designs would have on our world and to be able to peak into his thought-process was motivating.

Mike Parker said that, Helvetica is about the interaction between the type and the background space that make it so beautiful and that thought alone inspired me. He explained that, Hoffman recognized the shapes and relationships in the negative space as a thing of beauty. It is not just the typeface itself that is considered it is the spaces in-between and within the letters that are also deliberate and essential to the design.

I think it is easy to get caught up in the flashiness of the designs we create today. This documentary was important, because it reminded me of the complexity of the aspects of design I take for granted. It reminded me that there is still power in a clear, conscious design.