Title: Helvetica

Year Released/Rating: 2007

Directed By: Gary Hustwit

Genre: Documentary

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Summary: A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.

Review: 

J owned this documentary even before we started dating, and I just never watched it until now.  It's something I would like: a specific documentary.  A documentary about something I find interesting.  And now living with J (who's a designer), I find myself discussing design on a regular basis.  I finally got around to watching this one following our earlier viewing of

Objectified

.  This is a very layered documentary.  We see all sides to the issue of the "universal typeface" of Helvetica.  Personally, I really like the typeface, but part of that may be because I had to see Times New Roman throughout all of school and hated it.  Helvetica gave me a new experience, despite seeing it everywhere in public.  Overall, I learned a lot about typeface and design.  And most importantly, I understand J just a little bit more.

Best Bits: 

• Rick Poynor: Type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring.
• Massimo Vignelli: You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work.
• Lars Müller: And I think I'm right calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. It is just something we don't notice usually but we would miss very much if it wouldn't be there.