t y p e f a c e / fi l m
HELVETICA
Typefaces generally travel under the radar for attention, but Helvetica has stolen the spotlight. Whether the response is positive or negative, Helvetica seems to stir up intense emotions. Some people, like Massimo and Matthew Carter, adore it. They give it high praise calling it legible, neutral, and good for everything. And it’s true, it has been used for everything. It seems you can’t turn a corner without spotting Helvetica. It’s used on mailboxes, in the subway, for restaurants, on tax forms, and even on dump trucks. It was even used for the text in the video ‘Helvetica’.
This popularity and the very qualities that make it loved also contribute to its disdain. Some people, like Erick Spiekerman and Stephen Sagmeister, call it a “nightmare”, overused, and conformity. Typefaces go through the same unending process that everything else in this world goes through. Something new and groundbreaking comes out, people desire to have the new cool thing and suddenly everyone is using it. Now a new generation comes in and wants to be different so they shun the old and crave the new and unique.
READING RESPONSE
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