Alison Leach 3330825: Typeface Critique

Helvetica is one of the most popular typefaces of all time. Swiss typeface designer, Max Miedinger was famous for designing the sans-serif typeface in 1957, firstly naming it Neue Haas Grotesk. In 1960, Miedinger renamed the typeface Helvetica; the Latin name for Switzerland and from them on it was global.

The Helvetica design is based on the grotesques of the late nineteenth century. However, with new refinements Helvetica has been put into the sans serif sub-category of neo-grotesque.  Not too long after the introduction to Helvetica the Stempel foundry purchased the original Helvetica typeface and then developed a full series of weights. Today Helvetica is defined as an all-purpose type design, which is able to convey practically any message effectively.

The traditional design of Helvetica had the stroke endings squared off, however Helvetica Rounded was soon after designed with rounded stroke terminations. Miedinger sought to create a font that did not sit or float in the background.  It is both the positive and negative space around the type itself which make the typeface look as if it is fixed to its background, with no possibility for movement.

To this day there has been a number of Helvetica variations created, including a number of different language variants. Each style consists of the same traditional design however with both heavier and lighter stoke weights. Variations such as Helvetica condensed and Helvetica compressed are largely used amongst display applications such as newspapers and headlines, billboards and advertising.

Helvetica was designed as a rational typeface for contemporary information. It is a neutral typeface and although Helvetica has many variants the basis of its structure follows the horizontal slicing off of the terminals. It is this neutrality, which makes the font so widely used, because it has no meaning for itself and allows for words and sentences to be able to relay their own message effectively without creating any interference. 

Although it can be argued that Helvetica has become so overused, Helvetica is still seen as one of the most popular body context fonts. Used by major companies such as Apple and NASA, some designers will argue that Helvetica has lost its power over the past fifty years because of its exhausted use while others will say it is the timeless nature of Helvetica which makes it a popular choice when choosing a typeface.

Works Cited

Bart, Zach. Zach's Blog. 12 11 2008. 21 07 2012 <http://zachbart.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/helvetica-critique/>.

Bitstream Inc. My Fonts. 03 12 2007. 21 07 2012 <http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/helvetica/>.

Chapman, Cameron. The Simplicity of Helvetica. 21 07 2012 <http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2010/01/the-simplicity-of-helvetica/>.

McDonagh, Maitland. Helvetica: Review. 21 07 2012 <http://movies.tvguide.com/helvetica/review/290467>.

The New York Times. Helvetica: The little typeface that leaves a big mark . 01 04 2007. 21 07 2012 <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/style/30iht-design2.1.5085303.html>.