Helvetica
by Gary Hustwit
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DVD details
Actor: David Carson, Erik Spiekermann, Massimo Vignelli, Matthew Carter, Wim CrouwelDirector: Gary Hustwit
Cinematographer: Luke Geissbuhler
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown; English (Unknown), Unknown; German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled)
Format: Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 80 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Plexifilm
DVD Reviews of Helvetica
DVD Review: Typeface as a weapon.
Summary: 5 Stars
Some of the more trivial things I learned from this documentary are that graphic designers don't wear ties, they do wear eyeglasses that sometimes are distracting, and they drink coffee out of simple plain white cups--not mugs.
The typeface Helvetica was created to carry the message of Modernism--simple, clear, without content of its own. Its job is get across whatever message is in the text. It can be used to tell you which is the men's room or why you should drink Coke.
Helvetica (a made-up word meant to connote "the Swiss typeface") was especially popular in Europe and in America in the 1960s and has never gone away.
But in the 1970s, because the use of Helvetica became universal in American advertising, a reaction set in--A.B.H., anything but Helvetica. Helvetica was for one American designer the typeface "behind the Vietnam War." (Judging by this documentary, American artists and designers reacted against Helvetica much more than Europeans did. Perhaps because, for Europeans after World War II, Modernism--which Helvetica represented--was already a reaction against the Romanticism in the Nazi ideology.)
A couple of the less trivial things I learned from the documentary are that few graphic designers seem to be women and that cultural stereotypes aren't dead. A German designer in the documentary said Helvetica typifies the "Swiss ideology" because every letter is like every other letter. He was a pretentious snob, but interesting to listen to. I learned more about him than about design. It reminds me of the old joke: "That's enough about me. Let's hear about you--what do YOU think about me?"
So the war between Helvetica and "grunge" typefaces became for some designers (especially the ones who worked on counterculture magazines and music art) a war between clarity vs. ideology, rationalism vs. humanism, socialism vs. capitalism.
That's why, one designer says, governmental agencies like the IRS use Helvetica. There's "a balance of push-pull" that makes you feel problems will go away. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. I wonder if there's such a thing as a graphic psychologist who could explain why the weight of the letters or the ratio of white space to black has the effect it does on people.
I don't want to make you think this film is overly serious. It's just that it has a lot of interesting ideas expressed by the people who use typefaces professionally. Most of the graphic designers interviewed love Helvetica and are effusive and articulate in telling why they love it so much.
I really liked the English designer whose professional dream is to do the design for an entire airline, from logo to crew uniforms to signs on the fuel trucks. His wife let him design their wedding invitations (the worst job in graphic design, according to him, because of all the people you have to please), but she wouldn't let him include an acknowledgment to Helvetica in their Order of Service for the wedding.
DVD Review: Quirky documentary
Summary: 4 Stars
I didn't write this review in Helvetica. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this documentary that showcases what is often considered the ultimate typeface. I actually rarely use Helvetica, so this was news to me. However, Helvetica typeface is all around us - on billboards, in advertising, and on buildings. Its clean design makes it easy to read and modern looking, even 50 years after its development. Helvetica is the pinnacle of Swiss crispness and clean lines - the IKEA of fonts (ok, IKEA is Swedish). Whether you consider it boring or not, it's here to stay.
The documentary focuses primarily on interviews with graphic designers and typographers, who give their views - sometimes negative sometimes rhapsodic - on the typeface. Some of these interviews are fascinating and elevate this documentary to the level of any serious consideration of art; indeed, some of these designers approach typeface as art. At times, the focus on interviews is a bit tedious, especially when they use jargon. Fortunately, the director (Gary Hustwit) keeps things moving at a nice clip and blends in various pictures of cityscapes and advertising that use the font. The aesthetic of the film is as clean and crisp as the typeface it explores, making it a rather pleasing documentary to watch. I tend to enjoy documentaries that take familiar things and dissect them, which this one does nicely. Font junkies are going to find this flick the most interesting, but anyone who likes graphic arts is likely to enjoy "Helvetica."
DVD Review: Bad Documentary!
Summary: 1 Stars
This is a terrible documentary. It is a story without a plot, and many, many "examples" of Helvetica shown are, in fact, other san serif typsefaces! The film editor obviously isn't sensitive enough to typeface design to recognize the difference between Helvetica and other san serif designs (for example, Bloomingdales dept store!). A bad disappointment, one of the most wasteful DVDs I've ever seen!DVD Review: Must See if You Enjoy Documentaries
Summary: 5 Stars
I had not heard of this movie when my husband rented it and when he said we were going to watch "Helvetica" I was like: "You mean the font?"
This was one of the better films I've seen lately. I am not a graphic designer or in the arts so this was all new information to me and it was surprisingly fascinating. I have a new appreciation towards typeface and signs, particularly store front. Plus, the people interviewed in the film totally crack me up, needless to say they are passionate about fonts.
DVD Review: the beginning of an era
Summary: 5 Stars
Helvetica: the first, the foremost, the font that will go on forever. My students thoroughly enjoyed this documentary.
Description of Helvetica
Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.General DVDs
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