film: Helvetica

A feature length documentary about what could arguably be one of the most boring topics ever, the typeface known as Helvetica.

Chances are if you have a computer, you have used helvetica at one point or another. It's a standard sans-serif typeface with no frills. It's the plain vanilla of the typographic world.

As someone with a passion for layout and design, I've had more than my fair share of run-ins with helvetica. I've used it in logos, fliers, web graphics, coupons and pretty much everything else that has come across my desktop. I've even used it as a basis for my own font designs once or twice.

I guess this makes me the ideal candidate to actually sit and spend 80 minutes of my life watching a movie about a font. I got all giddy and excited when I heard about it. I already have several books on typography... the histories and origins of many typefaces, how to effectively use fonts to convey ideas and stories about the innovators in the industry all the way back to Gutenberg. I am a complete geek when it comes to this shit. I just hope it doesn't disappoint.

yikes. this actually excites me.... and that scares me.

rate this movie

alasdair

I'm gonna catch this on Netflix's "watch now" and I'll give a review later.

i watched this last night. it's one of the best documentaries i've seen in some time. i've been involved in technology from an operating system perspective for a large part of my career so typography has always interested me.

this held my attention from beginning to end with an excellent explanation of the evolution of the typeface and a detailed examination of why it changed typography and remains so important today.

alasdair

I saw one of the preview screenings of this a while ago and enjoyed it so much that I bought the film when it came out. Beautiful camerawork, thoughtful exploration of the subject matter, well-integrated music...love! Also very impressive for a first film.

I also enjoyed how after the screening the director gave a shoutout to the people who had come wearing "Arial" shirts, saying that if they had said "Comic Sans" they would have been stopped at the door. Good stuff.

I'm curious to know how people who were not necessarily typography geeks would react to this film. if I ever organize a helvetica movie night, I will let you know.