Okay, I just really enjoyed that guy’s name and wanted to use it somewhere in the title.
Allow me to start by saying that, despite its lack of fundamental interview shots and its generally confusing approach to documentary production, I really enjoyed “Helvetica.” Aside from forcing me to point out the font on logos or street signs or buildings all weekend, it brought up an interesting debatable point of design. How important is typography? Or, more specifically, what best behooves a design: a font, or its surrounding factors?
I’ve always believed that (in many cases) the simpler the font, the better. I don’t have too much experience with design, but in my observation of what I think is good design, the collective work is what ultimately moves me. A font can never do that on its own. Helvetica is perfect for a font that no one notices is everywhere until a documentary profiles its prolific use.
Toward the end of the documentary, I also felt relieved that I don’t aspire to become an expert in typography, because my accent isn’t nearly awesome or European enough to strike it big in that field, according to what I heard.