Helvetica - Typography Film

• Typography - space between and within characters makes it - Swiss pay more attention to this.
• One opinion: type should be expressive - one point of view e.g. when they type 'dog' it should bark.
• Helvetica = modern - 1957
• Post war 1950s - idealism among designers, design was part of the need to rebuild - run more smoothly - early experiments of modernism driven by Swiss designers - rational typefaces.
• Clarity - clear, readable, straightforward - grids - creating order.
• Computer speeds up design, doesn't make it better.
• Helvetica is neutral - no meaning - meaning in content of type/image, not in the typeface.
• Serif vs san-serif, heavy vs light, thick vs thin contrast.
• Reading something is critical in how you view a typeface.
• Die neue Haas grotesk = original name for Helvetica. Was then changed to the Latin word for Switzerland and then changed to Helvetica which sounded similar so it could get into American market.
• Instantly took off. 
• Linotype owns Helvetica.
• Smoothness of letters make them feel almost human - accessible, accountable and transparent.
• Invites open interpretation.
• Typefaces are a brand - brand loyalty like that of users to Apple.
• Typefaces make things recognisable.
• Perfect balance of push and pull in letters - contained.
• Don't notice it but would miss it if it wasn't there.
• Typography can have personality - convey mood/feeling.
• 70s - psychedelic type.
• 80s - postmodernism - using lots of typefaces - against helvetica.
• Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates - dingbats can communicate.
• Simple, clean and powerful vs Simple, clean and boring.
• 90 - return to Helvetica with new theories.