Fresh
Helvetica is one of those rare films in which the exploration of a specific topic leads to expanding horizons of perception.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
Helvetica
Typography, Graphic Design and Global Visual Culture
2007 · 1h 20m · Not Rated
Documentary
Directed by
Gary Hustwit
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Helvetica
Overview
Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
88%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Even viewers who've never given a serif a second thought are in for an exclamation point of joy from such a well-designed doc.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Fresh
Overlong but fascinating, Gary Hustwit's documentary posits Helvetica, a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957.
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
Fresh
Helvetica keenly distills the eternal aesthetic battle between the classical and the baroque and explores what happens when a revolution goes mainstream.
Julia Wallace, Village Voice
Fresh
Hustwit's talking heads, an endearingly geeky bunch, weigh in on the pros and cons of such ubiquity. Cage match! Not that kind of film.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
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