Are you a “typomaniac?” If you come out of this movie with a crush on Helvetica then you know that the answer to that question should be yes! This documentary, done on the typeface Helvetica’s 50th birthday, does more than tell about this particular typeface. It also reminds the general viewer that type is a design element that is all around us.
In the various attitudes and feuds of the type designers that are interviewed, one also gets a glimpse of the passion that art arouses. Yes, even those who practice the art of graphic design.
Director Gary Hustwitz loves looking at design in the things that make up the background of our lives. After Helvetica he also directed Objectified and Urbanized, looking at product design and city design respectively. He’s our kind of guy. You can see the trailer at his website.
You can stream it iTunes or Amazon Instant Video (it’s free with Amazon Prime) but if you rent the DVD, be sure to watch the extras — this is where Hermann Zapf really gets going! (He has designed many faces in his career including Optima, Palatino and Zapfino.)