Helvetica - The Film
The typeface many of us love to hate is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. If you haven't been under a rock, you know that the documentary, Helvetica, is making the rounds on the film festival circuit this year. A feature-length independent film on a typeface? - Are you kidding me?!
Gary Hustwit is the director of the film and answers the question, "Why?" on the Helvetica film website. I don't know much about Mister Hustwit, but his bio includes working with punk label SST in the '80s, and that's enough for me! Go Black Flag, Meat Puppets, and The Stains!
As is also mentioned on the web site, Helvetica is all around us and we see it all the time in signage, advertising, and as well as pop culture - I know we all have the Family and we use it, even though we say we hate it.
The film interviews many stars of the typographic and design industry, including: Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, Erick Spiekermann, and Tobia Frere-Jones - some heavy hitters! I haven't seen the film yet, but am getting ready to soon.
The film is traveling all around the world, actually, and will be making stops in the US, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Germany, and, of course, at TypeCon in Seattle this year. I'm also happy to announce that there will be a special screening of the film in San Francisco during Design Week 2007 which is June 11-17. That's an exclusive, because it's not even on the official screenings list yet!
**SF venue update - Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at the Landmark Embarcadero Theatre for a 7:00pm showing.**
So, go to the Official Web Site to see interviews, clips, stills from the movie, and even shop for your favorite Helvetica ephemera to secretly hang in your studio - or in your closet!
I'm going to have tell my old Typography professor about this, he's in LOVE with typography. Too much in love with it I think haha.