Leave a comment about your reaction to Helvetica the movie:
Likes, dislikes? • Something you agree or disagree with? • Something that resonated with you? • A connection you made to another subject, person, art form? • Something that confused you? Something in the movie that inspired you? • How has your opinion about Helvetica or other typefaces changed as a result of watching this?
The narrative on Helvetica has been used, and understanding more on the modern development of typography was interesting. Sometimes the talking heads portions went on a bit long. I did appreciate the passion that the interviewees had for their work–that resonated with me. I particularly liked Matthew Carter and how he discussed approaching designing type–first the “h” then the “o” then a “p,” etc., and how the DNA of the typeface is in those letters. I also liked Michael Bierut’s discussion of how ad styling changed from the 1950s to 1960s and the vehemence of his critique. Leslie Savan had an interesting observation on the government use of Helvetica to appear transparent and accessible. I did have a connection with the the argument that typeface should not speak or stand out, but let the ideas do the talking. It reminded me of the aesthetic art movement (art should not have meaning). I don’t agree with either argument, but I appreciate learning about and respecting those perspectives. The experience in general showed a benefit in studying a topic deeper and appreciating other artistry that is lesser known.