Helvetica: Typography and 20th Century
Name: Shane Crudden 2A
Module: Design Theory
Title: 20th Century Visual Communication
Date of submission: 13/12/10
Word Count: 1939
Typography: Helvetica.
“The 20th century was a time of social, cultural and technological revolution and change. Inevitably this had an effect on visual communication of the time.” One of the key factors in typography that I believe to be central to the development and progression of visual communication in the 20th century is the typeface Helvetica.
“The Helvetica typeface is one of the most ubiquitous design classics of all time in 2007 it was their 50th anniversary.” “Eduard Hoffman and Max Miedinger a feculence designer who had been an employee of the Hass type family in Munchenstein in Switzerland, was commissioned to redesign a typeface called Hass Grotesk. It was already a stripped-down sans serif font. Miedinger’s redesign was first named Neue Haas Grotesk, not Helvetica. That name was attached in 1960, when the companies Stempel and Linotype of Frankfurt, Germany, took over the design and wanted a moniker that would have international appeal. Helvetica refers to Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland.”
“Helvetica captured the modernist preference for using clarity and simplicity to suggest greater ideas. The fact that the typeface is clean-cut and simple means that it can be used as a neutral platform in a wide variety of settings – it is the particular context and content of the messages that convey their meaning.” “Miedinger’s project is inspiring because he broke the moulds of his time.” Helvetica changed the perception of type and how it could change the feeling you get from example looking at signs logos and advertisements.
The type was rooted in Modernism, verging on Minimalism. Helvetica is the type most identified with the spread of the Swiss style. You see it everywhere: on subway signs in New York, in logos for BMW and American Airlines. Apple installed it on its first computers in 1984; a knockoff
Module: Design Theory
Title: 20th Century Visual Communication
Date of submission: 13/12/10
Word Count: 1939
Typography: Helvetica.
“The 20th century was a time of social, cultural and technological revolution and change. Inevitably this had an effect on visual communication of the time.” One of the key factors in typography that I believe to be central to the development and progression of visual communication in the 20th century is the typeface Helvetica.
“The Helvetica typeface is one of the most ubiquitous design classics of all time in 2007 it was their 50th anniversary.” “Eduard Hoffman and Max Miedinger a feculence designer who had been an employee of the Hass type family in Munchenstein in Switzerland, was commissioned to redesign a typeface called Hass Grotesk. It was already a stripped-down sans serif font. Miedinger’s redesign was first named Neue Haas Grotesk, not Helvetica. That name was attached in 1960, when the companies Stempel and Linotype of Frankfurt, Germany, took over the design and wanted a moniker that would have international appeal. Helvetica refers to Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland.”
“Helvetica captured the modernist preference for using clarity and simplicity to suggest greater ideas. The fact that the typeface is clean-cut and simple means that it can be used as a neutral platform in a wide variety of settings – it is the particular context and content of the messages that convey their meaning.” “Miedinger’s project is inspiring because he broke the moulds of his time.” Helvetica changed the perception of type and how it could change the feeling you get from example looking at signs logos and advertisements.
The type was rooted in Modernism, verging on Minimalism. Helvetica is the type most identified with the spread of the Swiss style. You see it everywhere: on subway signs in New York, in logos for BMW and American Airlines. Apple installed it on its first computers in 1984; a knockoff
Bibliography: (Steven Levy, insanely great, the life and times of Macintosh, the computer that changed everything, 1994) http://www.Quotesondesign.com/Neville-brody/.com