Helvetica

I found the documentary Helvetica to be extremely interesting. To pay tribute to the typeface, in this post I will be using Arial instead of my usual Georgia. I am fascinated with the idea of different typefaces and fonts and typesetting and have been for years. There is still a large part of me that desperately wants to go into graphic design, although it is unlikely I will do so. However, watching this documentary rekindled the interest I have in graphic design. I think it's incredibly interesting to think about how a typesetting can influence the way that people interpret a message, symbol, brand name, etc. I also think it's interesting to see how people design a typesetting that is not only functional and readable, but also asthetically pleasing and able to convey a message just in the way the letters are shaped and structured as well as what the letters spell out. The whole world of graphic design and especially typesetting is an extremely subtle art, and I suppose that's part of what appeals to me about it. In a completely nerdy way, this documentary would definitely have been something that I would have watched on my own had I come across it outside of class. I was delighted that we were able to watch something like this as part of this class; I thought it was one of the most interesting things we've looked at so far.