Topherchris and Catbird are two of my favorite Tumblrs and two great web imagineers. Big Giant Helvetica is a nice simple site for when you simply want to send a simple message. Simple. Big. Helvetica. BigGiantHelvetica.com

I don't think I would ever use this now that I think of it. Just like now do this I think I just like the idea of minimalist apps, I probably will never use them. You might though!

For those of you who enjoyed Helvetica, there is a new movie coming out revolving around the Hamilton Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. (Drew and I are planning on visiting the museum sometime in the Fall - and I can't wait.) The film is called Typeface and it focuses on the disappearing art and trade of setting and printing with wood type. They also did a lot of filming over at Columbia College. Columbia has an impressive wood type collection too! In the past few weeks, having spent some time with the Vandercook presses, I have gained even more appreciation for this fading art and printing process. There is something so comforting in printing with wood type - even in the results and all the imperfections from age and use. In the future, I will be adding some letterpress illustrations and cards - so stay tuned

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

But this typeface is applied in many different situations and places.

Celebrated its 50th anniversary, "Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives."

If you missed the documentary screenings in Vancouver back in August last year (they were quickly sold out), now you have a chance to have it on your iPod and your iTunes library.

Well... unfortunately just for US iTunes users as noted on the graphic link on their site.
Sigh, wasn't Helvetica screened internationally?

Will they make the digital download available in iTunes in all countries?
Just like the iPhone, looks like us Canadians have to wait.

Ask me which fonts I hate, and I would start with Comic Sans. Then Papyrus, Zapfino, Chalkboard, and a few others that I see every day. Sit me down in front of my font utility and give me a few minutes, and the list would easily grow. The first ones I named make my typographic shit list because they are overused, whereas the latter faces would rank due to poor design or typographic rigidity (lack of kerning pairs, ligatures, or alternate characters). A lot of them are far too easy to loathe. Take Comic Sans, for example; there is a whole sub-culture devoted to its demise, and even a subconscious counter-culture hell-bent on propagating its use. [Incidentally, there is a future article in the works exploring our love-hate relationship with Comic Sans.]

Ask me which fonts I love, however, and I would be hard-pressed to respond. Oh, I have my favorites that come in and out like fashions, and I will certainly ooh and aah over a particularly gorgeous typeface when I see it. But I'm a firm believer that each font has its place, and I don't believe there is such a thing as a "cure-all" font that will work everywhere. Warnock is generally good for body copy, and my blog header speaks to my new appreciation for Voluta Script.

Then ask me about Helvetica, and that's where we start to have some fun. Some time ago, my roommate returned home from work with a slightly rumpled piece of paper that she had found on the bus. "The second I saw this I thought of you and knew that you should have it," she said. "It was just sitting on one of the seats, calling to me." Touched by her sincere enthusiasm, I took the page from her outstretched hand and started reading. And then I cackled with delight. It was divine. There, flush left in 12-point bold it read, "Helvetica says: Do not read me because I will bore the shit out of you." I was stunned.

"You found this on the bus? Just sitting there?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "like it wanted to be found."

I stared at the paper, reading the text over and over again, baffled by its simplicity, its irony, and its intent. And its design. Because at its heart, the piece had been intentionally designed. Six lines of text, the first in 30% black, the rest broken into poetry. The more I studied it, the more I loved it. The stark white space on the rest of the full sheet of paper, the ragged edge left by the typesetting, the choice to eliminate any punctuation but a colon and a period.

It was nearly too good to be true. I determined that it was either a brilliant design student intent on expressing his or her personal opinion of the typeface, or a brilliant plagiarism of someone else's idea. Was it really left on the bus seat intentionally? Did this person really expect the one who discovered it later to appreciate it for what it was worth? Or was it all just an accident? The more I gazed at its perfection, the more questions I had regarding its origin. The line was strangely familiar, but was it really something I had heard before or just a shared sentiment resonating within?

What better way to dig deeper than crack my knuckles and open a new browser tab? A little Googling gave me enough of a lead to re-watch part of Helvetica and learn more. It turns out the phrase was not original. Stefan Sagmeister used it during his interview to describe his thoughts on a corporate brochure designed in the same way. It would seem that he was referencing a particular brochure by a firm called LCMG, though my google-fu has yet to turn up any image results of the alleged culprit. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but losing the mystery took away part of the fun. The fantasy surrounding the find was too entertaining.

Helvetica falls on neither my hit nor shit lists. It has its place in the typographic world, and has become ubiquitous for a lot of things. But sometimes it just doesn't work. Last night I attended the Eddie Izzard show here in Portland and peered over the shoulder of a fan who was browsing the official program. There sat a spread, one side with a glamorous photo of the fabulous comedian, the other set in 14-point Helvetica Regular with 20-point leading, it's lines spanning the width of the page. Quite honestly, it hurt my eyes; it just didn't fit.

I love Stefan Sagmeister and his work, and I love that the posters framed behind him in the interview are all set in Helvetica (black, all caps). When it comes down to it, Helvetica does not bore the shit out of me. Not all the time, at least. Sure, I might read a paragraph or twenty of copy set in Helvetica and not think much of it, but usually my recognition of the font leads me to question the designer's choice. What is the message conveyed? Why did they choose Helvetica? Would this have looked better in Jenson? Meta? Univers?

If anything, watching the documentary earlier this year heightened not only my awareness of Helvetica, but also of my awareness (and use) of other typefaces. I can no doubt spot those on my shit list from a mile away, and I can certainly spot Helvetica from the same distance, but what of others? I must drive my friends nuts when on the bus or walking around, because I'll just call out any typeface I can identify. As if they were begging to be identified and validated. Yes, I see you.

Helvetica. Helvetica. Papyrus. Comic Sans. Helvetica. Lucida Handwriting. Helvetica. Bank Gothic. Futura. Helvetica. Helvetica. Zapfino. Helvetica. Helvetica. Helvetica.

So thank you, Helvetica, for not boring the shit out of me enough to ignore you. Thank you for your prevalence. Thank you for your ubiquity. Thank you for your complacency, your simplicity, and your stability. Thank you for reminding me that there are other typefaces in the world, and thank you for helping me appreciate typography even more.

Desde que comenzó mi interés por el diseño como profesión, fue inevitable analizar todas las imágenes y gráficos que me rodean día con día. Cuando estás dentro de este medio, te puedes identificar perfecto con algunas prácticas, estilos o tendencias... siempre es interesante poder reconocer una tipografía que pensábamos 'escondida' en las piezas de alguien más.
Es por eso que este trailer me pareció una buena manera de introducir esta película: Helvetica. Este documental principalmente dirigido a los profesionales del diseño gráfico, ha encontrado un lugar especial  en el interés del público neófito en el asunto. Ver la historia del nacimiento y evolución de un tipo de letra es mucho más interesante de lo que parece.
No sé si actualmente se esté proyectando en alguna sala de la Ciudad pero definitivamente vale la pena buscarla en la red o comprarla directamente desde aquí.

Movie Poster:

It's not the original Helevetica, MgOpen Moderna is based on the design of Helvetica, so it's just a copy, but it's free. If you're interested in: click here

Veremos el documental "Helvetica" que ya nos hacemos una idea de qué va por el nombre pero ahí dejo unos links relacionados:

Helvetica

Dd'A

Eso, el día 15, el martes que viene, el último día de clase, etc, etc...

Sure, designers poke fun at word nerds for getting our geek on over issues like split infinitives or effect versus affect. But don't be fooled, they can get as nerdy as the best of us. Check out a few pithy words from uber-designer Michael Bierut:

In the meantime, you know you're just waiting for the sequel, "Comic Sans."

*******
Bonus MRP moment: Read what Michael Bierut has to say about "Why the Obama 'Brand' Is Working."

Second bonus moment: Comic Sans walks into a bar. The barman says, "We don't serve your type here."

sencillamente una experimentación con tipografías, se logra imitar un clásico de clásicos HELVÉTICA y bueno algo entretenido con pasta de dientes, gel para el pelo y ketchup.

puedes descargarlas desde Autobahn

Para começar algo que me deixa muito triste! A edição especial do dvd do film Hevetica carregadinha de extras (3 mini posters, uma cópia de um frame do filme autografada pelo realizador, dois pins e um tipo móvel da Helvetica actual) e que infelizmente já se encontra esgotada! Mas para nem tudo se encontra esgotado e por isso deixo-vos com alguns dos meus favoritos!

O mapa de Londres em tipografia.

As fantásticas letras da ViaLetter.

Os lençóis com shakespeare.

Os móveis da set26.

Os artigos da Veer (vou so por duas imagens senão nunca mais acabo).

E as formas de cozinha!

Para terminar algumas prendas expecialmente para as senhoras... Link1 & Link2

e para a criança dentro de voces! Link1, Link2 & Link3

Assim que puder escrevo mais um post sobre tipografia!

Os melhores cumprimentos!

Sometimes its easy to forget about the basics... you know the fundamentals of design. I have been through this myself "over designing".

Over designing is really easy to do, as a designer you want to WOW each of your customers but photoshopping till the cows come home 50 layers later isn't always the best way to do it.

I've been making it a point lately to not over do it. Every inch of the design space doesn't have to be covered with something, sometimes the blank space is what really makes the design and sometimes the TYPE is what makes all the difference.

The art of really good typography and placement of that type has taken a back seat to the "Eye Candy and Alien Skins" of the world. Its so tempting with all the Photoshop filters and bling, bling at the tip of your fingers to let loose.

I'm making a mental note to get back to the basics clean defined spaces, crisp and clean typography.

I love HELVETICA!

Truly,

~ Echo

source

"Words exist only inasmuch as they denote something individually and collectively, but that is all they are. They’re merely little freight containers of meaning, devoid of any importance on their own. To see words as art on their own is heresy.

This inflexibility makes sense to a non-visual thinker, but to visual thinkers such dogma is depressing and sad, like forcing ballerinas to wear suits of armour."

Read it.

Found through Daring Fireball

• "Helvética es el perfume de la ciudad"
• "La tipografía del socialismo"
• " Ella provocó la guerra de vietnam, la ví por vez primera en un folleto pro-vietnam"
• " Es como el aire, y obviamente debes respirar"

Para saber quién cita, obligados a verla.....