Sunday evening I joined the design geeks in the DC area and went to see a film about a font. This sans-serif font is both loved and loathed. It is Helvetica. Massimo Vignelli says it's one of three acceptable fonts in this world. Stefan Sagmeister says it is uninteresting and screams "I am boring". I say it's clean and legible. It communicates information clearly, thus I love it.

Overview
Because Helvetica is easily read, straightforward, and friendly, it has become ubiquitous in signage and “power logos” around the world.

Helvetica Stats

• Born: 1957


• Parents: Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann


• Grandparents: Haas Type Foundry, Stempel and Linotype


• Bio: Helvetica was born into a world of hand-lettered type, nuptual scripts, and ornate serif fonts. As a young sans-serif, Helvetica had trouble making friends. With the help of it's grandparents, Helvetica was pushed into the limelight. In it's 20s, Helvetica could be seen with government logos (like NASA), global brands (like Microsoft, Panosonic, and Nestle), and general signage. Helvetica turns 50 this year and is taking life less seriously. Recently, the sans-serif has been spotted on billboards and posters with scantily clad women (American Apparel).

The Film
The producer/director Gary Hustwit started the night off by welcoming the sold out crowd. It went something like this (not a direct quote) – Thanks for showing up. It’s amazing that you people will stand in line and pay $10 to see a film about a font. If I hadn’t made the film, I would be out there in the crowd with you. There’s Q&A after the film. If you are going to ask dumb questions like, ‘Will your next film be about Times New Roman’ you should leave now. Enjoy!

Overall, the film was pretty good. The crew traveled around the US and the UK interviewing designers and getting their thoughts on Helvetica and why it is so ubiquitous. Their personal feelings about the font are often involved in the answers to those questions. Here's the jist of what some of them said:

• Michael Bierut - Helvetica is everywhere. It's like air. You can't help breathing it in.


• Paula Scher - Helvetica is the font of the Vietnam war.


• Erik Spiekermann - Helvetica is awful. It's widely used and carries no meaning.


• Massimo Vignelli - Helvetica is king of all fonts. Everything was fine until this disease called post-modernism spread.


• David Carson - Helvetica has no emotion. It doesn't say caffinated!

The film will be back in DC on September 13 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. This time there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with the director and designers! Check out all screenings.

If you can't make it to the next showing, at least view the trailer/clips.

I Am a Geek Because I:

• Arrived at the movie theater an hour early to get a good seat. I was happy to see that I wasn't the only one.


• Got very excited when I saw (on screen) famous designers whose work shaped my design aesthetic and education. The list includes: Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Müller, and many more.


• Laughed and booed when Hustwit said he hoped someone would make a parody film based on Helvetica, but using the dreaded Comic Sans. Hustwit – “The audience focus will be 3rd graders and soccer moms.”