Brief 1 - Helvetica Documentary

> Notes made whilst watching Helvetica Documentary 

 Massimo Vignelli.

-       Designer behind the American Airlines, which consists of Helvetica

-       Helvetica is like music, the use of negative space illustrates the spacing between music notes and how it consists of all the right connotations.

-       legible font that has no form of expression

-       good for everything and overall is a practical design

Rick Poyner.

-       Helvetica was brought about in 1975 it was

-       modernism expressed in an intelligible and legible way.

Wim Crouwel.

-       Helvetica is interesting in clarity, the typeface is clear and readable,

-       straight forward design.

-       “most neutral typeface”

-       meaning is in the context of what is written in the text and not the typeface it is written.

Leslie Savan.

-       neutral and efficient look. however, the

-       smoothness of the lettering also makes them seem human.

-       Helvetica makes them come across seeming more “accessible transparent and accountable”.

Eric Spiekerman.

-       Doesn’t have any rhythm or character,

-       Mundane design

-       “It’s air, it’s just there”.  

-       “Helvetica has become a default typeface”.

Lars Muller.

-       Very strict typeface

-       Looks likes the typeface of capitalism but is the typeface of socialism, its available all over and is inviting dilatant and amateurs everybody to create their own type design.

-       The Perfume of the city, something that goes unnoticed, but when not present is known.

-       Helvetica has merely become routine

Neville Brody.

-       It’s going to be clean, you’re going to fit in and you’re not going to stand out

-       We’re part of modern society

Stefan Stagmeister.

-       Boring Typeface (Visually boring)

-       ‘Trying to look good limits my life’

Massimo Vignelli (on postmodernism).

-       disease called postmodernism

-       they didn’t care about what they were for but what they’re against – that being Helvetica.

Daniel Carson.

-       Don’t confused legibility with communication, just because its legible doesn’t mean it communicates.

-       If it’s said in a boring non-descript way then the message can be lost.

-       There is a very thin line between simple and clean and powerful, and simple and clean and boring.

Erwin Brinkers, Marieke Stolk, and Danny Van der Dunnon.

-       It’s a natural monotone

-       It’s almost in our blood

Michael. C. Place.

-       ‘Just a beautiful font’

Manuel Knobs and Dimitri Bruni.

-       ‘we accept it’s just there’

-       we don’t like humanistic typefaces, otherwise they have too much expression