Helvetica
Critical Writing
Helvetica is quite easily one of the most popularised typefaces to date. Designers everywhere debate back and forth the quality and practicality of this typeface being used everywhere around us, including most common road signs (fig1), government letters, company brands and logos and even in TV show titles. All of these examples of ways Helvetica is so regularly used by designers must have to be because of something, right? There are many arguments that Helvetica isn't actually as useful as perceived and these mixed feelings towards it lead to some even go as far to compare the typeface with marmite, you either love it or you hate it. In this short blog post I will discuss the pros and cons of Helvetica as well as it’s role in cultural references today and it’s development since the very first iteration by Swiss designer Max Miedinger in 1957.
Helvetica became a house hold name typeface for a reason, not only will you struggle to come across any kind of designer who has never heard of it; it is also a very well known typeface among non designer folk. Helvetica is said to have always been popular, it was created on the back of another typeface named Akzidenz Grotesk (fig2) which is subtly similar to Helvetica. Helvetica was generated to be the best new modern type that would be widely liked and used after being designed based off previous designs that were already popular. The simplistic and even handed type caught peoples attention due to the diversity of what it could do, it could carry the branding of a softer company such as JC Pennys department store or Oral B toothpaste but also carry the big bold brands such as Harley Davidson and Microsoft. The typeface could never have caused any prejudgments or thoughts about a brand and instead allowed for the focus to be more on the product or information it was selling which was exactly what many wanted.
“Lots of people love it. Lots of people hate it. I love it and hate it at the same time,” says Jop van Bennekom, the creative director and co-founder of Fantastic Man magazine.
Helvetica was so incredibly popular that it was redesigned to Helvetica Neue (fig4) in 1982 which was later taken to be one of Apple computers factory setting typefaces in 2014. Apple settled on this choice after previously trialing a slightly lighter font but many complained and said they wanted something they could read easily from their screens. Helvetica Neue was also coincidentally Steve Jobs’ favourite typeface. There are many very unique selling points for Helvetica, primarily because of the sheer amount of directions you could go with it. It is very much a typeface you go for if you can’t find another one that you like because you know it will always fit and it won’t upset anyone because it’s the iconic Helvetica.
However on the other hand, we must sometimes take a step back and look at something for what it really is; just a simple type. One of the other main reasons Helvetica gained in popularity began when the war ended. To some the typeface was quite strict and clinical especially in comparison to those that had been popular in the 1940s which had mostly consisted of very decorative and difficult to read fonts which had extra embellishments. This was the perfect change for marketing brands which found that they could sell the public the most sales in that time with Helvetica, people had switched from wanting the good values and quality of the brand to wanting the heart of the brand to lift you up and make you feel a little special. They wanted brands they could brag about and show off to their friends and Helvetica was perfect for this as it gave off a ‘cool vibe.’ This exact reason is what turned Helvetica from a flexible all round typeface to a consumerist dream. The identities of these brands (fig3) although are instantly recognisable, when you see them together like that they just look very similar and overall dull. Brand marks should be completely unique to them and the constant use of Helvetica has just over saturated this style of logo. This creates a blown out market where everyone is the same, it would be like trying to chose between two places with the exact same name — and they would know not to be the same in the first place. It is the exact same for typefaces especially one as recognisable as Helvetica.
“Typefaces must cope with every manner of output and device: high- and low-res, gigantic and tiny, so looking at the technology of today and the applications that require legible text, the move to Helvetica Now is natural.”
In conclusion, Helvetica has been around for a long time now and there is no way it is anywhere near it’s way out. Not long ago it was announced that a brand new Helvetica typeface would be released to purchase called Helvetica Now. The aim with this particular Helvetica was to create a new version of this iconic typeface for the new era where functionality matters most on a range of screens from tiny apple watches to smart phones. Helvetica would appear to be a certain type of font that will just never ever go out of style, it will always have someone wanting to update it so that the new generations can use it too.
