It was 1956, when the Swiss typographer Edouard hoffman, from the foundry Hate, was commissioned to modernize one of the firm's fonts, La Haas Grotesque. After developing it in different weights and functions, he got a fresh new shape, versatile and tremendously suitable for all types of sizes and functions. It was given the name of "Helvetica". More than 50 years have passed, and its use is not only more current than ever, but it has become a symbol for a whole current of the graphic design. Having been the main reference of modernist design and the Swiss School in the 60s, the current champions of the Revival of this current, they have come to make it a sine qua non condition for the development of their style, some even reaching the psychosis of not keeping no other typeface in your font file.
The documentary "Helvetica" (Gary Hustwit, 2007) is part of a trilogy (Helvetica, Objectified, Urbanized) created, in the words of the same director, in order to offer a detailed look at those things in our daily lives that we take for granted. In it, the different currents of graphic design are analyzed from its beginnings to the present, with the participation of the most illustrious designers and typographers history such as Massimo Vignelli, Erik Spiekermann, Neville Brody, etc ... as well as the new values that are setting the trend in current design, Experimental JetSet, Build Design, etc ... In a quite dynamic round of speeches, the rhythm of the speech, I can assure you, will make the hour and twenty minutes that the film lasts a sigh for all those passionate about the profession,
Unraveling the stylistic arguments of both fans and design detractors modernist, minimalism vs. maximalism, order vs. chaos, the viewer has the opportunity to come into contact with a truly inspiring universe. It will not be surprising that more than one person feels the urgent need to take control of their computer after viewing it.
The Designer Massimo Vignelli
Hoping that you are passionate, I leave you the link to the full documentary with subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUSmT77mKxA
The docu is already its years old :)