Helvetica and the “Ought” of Good Design 4
I recently tweeted about my experience watching the Helvetica documentary
The Helvetica Documentary Synopsis
The documentary talks about the Helvetica font style, the tumultuous cultural climate it was created in during the 1950s and 60s, and its current cultural significance (or insignificance). You see a barrage of clips showing the font’s widespread use in logos and advertising. You also hear from renowned designers who believe in efficient designs where the font should merely communicate without drawing attention to itself. It contrasts them with other renowned designers who believe in expressive designs where the font should stand out and aid in the expression.
My Thoughts
Personally, I’ve always felt that “either/or” ways of thinking about design where one says “either the design uses this or it fails” are basically one-dimensional. I’ve encountered inspiring designs that used Helvetica and equally inspiring designs that used more expressive fonts. If I wanted to view all designs through the lens of my own visual ideology, I’d be dismissing a great deal of solid creativity that doesn’t fit my ideals. Granted, I have a personal style and visual preferences, but I aspire to have a subtle enough sensibility that can spot good design in all it’s wonderful variety. I’m often surprised by a logo or web layout that is emotive and grabs me, but exists completely outside my notion of good design. When this happens, I need to update my definition and ideas of what constitutes “good design” to accommodate this new visual anomaly.
So, are you a devotee of Helvetica or some other font style? Why or why not? Do you often find yourself thinking a design “ought” to be a certain way because of your personal taste? Have you ever loved a design but were surprised by how radically different it was from your personal taste? Share what you think.
Thanks for the mention in this thought-provoking post. I, like you, tend to dismiss the beliefs that fonts should either always be the centerpiece or completely complementary. I tend to take each design on its own merit – the target audience, its usage, what it’s trying to accomplish, and most importantly, its message.
Thanks… and ditto on looking at design based on context, that’s the best approach to critiquing.
Hey Danny, cheers for the blog comment, and this is a great discussion-oriented post.
What I enjoyed about the Helvetica documentary apart from the history and legacy of the font-face itself is the fact that they interviewed both supporters and non-supporters of it, so you get a two-sided approach.
Personally I think that, like relationships, every font is calling for a layout and the layout is calling for a font. Helvetica is a perfect match over many different mediums – web, print, mobile, and even cookie cutters now. I do think it’s a timeless font that has been brought to perfection, although there are times when it’s not suitable and other fonts can take the merit.
I see design *nearly* as something that is entirely subjective, and a designer chooses to do things for specific reasons, which allows a client to trust their judgment. It’s never good to marry specific ideas / design concepts, but take those ideas / concepts into account wherever they work best.
Cheers!
Robin,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. Looking forward to reading more of your blog posts as well :)