graphic design, art, typography and architecture

She’s been with us for 50 years. We see her just about every day. We often use her, perhaps sometimes abuse her. Sometimes she’s fat, sometimes she’s condensed; she’s understated, but still looking good for her age. Helvetica a documentary film by Gary Hustwit celebrates the birthday of this icon of type and, not only follows the proliferation of this font, but looks at typography in many mediums and contexts. The film is screening only at events in the US right now. It should reach Europe and the rest of the world later this year. In the meantime here’s a clip:

Helvetica documentary clip - Wim Crouwel

About the Typeface
Helvetica was developed by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland. In the late 1950s, the European design world saw a revival of older sans-serif typefaces such as the German face Akzidenz Grotesk. Haas’ director Hoffmann commissioned Miedinger, a former employee and freelance designer, to draw an updated sans-serif typeface to add to their line. The result was called Neue Haas Grotesk, but its name was later changed to Helvetica, derived from Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland, when Haas’ German parent companies Stempel and Linotype began marketing the font internationally in 1961.
Source: Helvetica Film Web Site