Helvetica documentary

Helvetica is a documentary produced by Gary Hustwit, focusing on the typeface Helvetica, but also looking at typography, graphic design, and global visual culture as a whole.

The design intentions were explained, how the typeface has been used commercially and the meanings the typeface can represent about a brand/company.

Rational 

The design of Helvetic was based on the desire for better legibility from a typeface. The letters should not look the same as that becomes an 'army', but there should be an element consistency throughout the design with slight variations in each character. People are individual and they will engage more with a typeface that is also. 

It was decided that ornamentation was not a necessary feature in this typeface as the sole focus was function. Typeface needs rhythm and contrast, usually deriving from human handwriting. This idea was maintained, but the visual appearance of human hand writing was completely removed and the font was designed based on the underlying grid system, allowing the creation of order.

As a modernist, Crouwel was impressed by Helvetica because it displayed a neutral personality, allowing it to be used in a variety of contexts. 

Wim Crouwel: 

“A face shouldn’t have a meaning in itself, the meaning should be in the content of the text.” 

Universal

Modernism focuses on the social equality and designers are expected to consider themselves to have a level of social responsibility. The modernist design of Helvetica comes with many positives and negatives.

The rational typefaces naturally start to build up a set of expectations that viewers will hold.  Helvetica is neutral, efficient, transparent, accountable, reliable and safe. The typeface can still be adjusted for context such as the font change to bold, italic, light etc. but the connotations will still be maintained.

The associations with Helvetica such as

In some opinions, Helvetica has become a 'visual disease' as it appears to be used everywhere as a safe option. The nature of a rational typeface means it is simple, clean and powerful. This was the case when it was first introduced, but the over use may have caused it to be simple, clean and boring. Spiekermann's opinion clearly states that as designers we may have become reliant on Helvetica as the answer to all design problems. 

Erik Spiekermann:

"It's air, you know It's just there. There's no choice. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica."

Communication 

The point that legibility should not be confused with communication is important. A typeface holds a lot of personality and is associated with numerous things. Helvetica was designed to be the most legible typeface, but along with it it has developed associations such as reliability, equality etc. and can work in many different contexts.
There have bene many attempts to better the typeface Helvetica, but there has not been a successful attempt yet. 

Neville Brody:

"The way something is presented will define the way you react to it. So you can take the same message and present it in three different typefaces. The response to that, the immediate emotional response will be different, and the choice of typeface is the prime weapon in that communication."

Brands using Helvetica:

NARS sticks to a monotone colour palette to keep the focus on the colour of the makeup and not to limit the styles and ranges they can sell as a company. The type is Helvetica Light which has been slimmed down further and overlapped. The fashion/beauty brands often use very thin line weights, so NARS has stuck to this tradition and association, but the overlapping moves them away from conformity and makes them unique. and appealing.

American Apparel uses the regular Helvetica, tightening the kerning to make it appear more playful. It is a good font choice for the fashion brand as it focuses on equality for those making and selling the clothes. Helvetica portrays this equality as it is part of the modernist movement. The tight kerning shows the playful side of the brand as it sells vibrant coloured clothes, but the neutral font choice keep in with the moral of the company. The fact that it is not all capitalised removes any threat or power as the brand must create a welcoming environment for people to trust and want to purchase the clothes.

This font being italic represents a forward motion, constantly moving and a sense of energy, all factors you would expect from a battery. The designer may have approached this design with the intention to illustrate the personality of the products being sold.

Reference - Helvetica documentary