SI 520 Graphic Design | Winter 2012 | Instructor: Elena Godin Comment on Documentary, Helvetica | Surong Ruan

Name of documentary: Helvetica Director: Gary Hustwit Year: 2007

Is it "informational" or "promotional"? Support your argument. Through this film, I think Helvetica is informational out of its primary promotional characteristic. From this film, Helvetica achieved widely popularity in various industries and impacted urban life greatly. It receives both praise and criticism, but through Helveticas development history, audiences are likely to find the amazing feature of this typeface. Who is the primary audience it aimed at? It is aimed at both people who are graphic designers and fans of font through the history and culture around Helvetica, and people who have not paid much attention to typefaces as the film explains in detail how Helvetica is being used. What is the relevance of it to specific areas/topics of our course? From this film, it vividly shows us the important role of typeface in design of various areas: brands, places, alert signs. The interviews and critical thinking of font usage also enlightens me on later font choices based on different context. Actually I am persuaded to regard Helvetica as a reliable and sage choice compared with other fancy or innovative font. According to the film, how does type affect our lives? First, types affect our life by conveying contents that are accessible and meaningful to us. Furthermore, types can help designers convey emotions and ideas to audience. They are critical design elements that impact readability and wholesome meaning of the design.