Helvetica

A documentary about a typeface -- now there’s a snooze, you might say, but not at all. This is a lively and engaging look at the font that was developed in Switzerland in the ’50s and went on to conquer the world, becoming the identifier of global commerce and an essential aspect of our visual environment. Gary Hustwit goes around the world taking note of the ubiquity of Helvetica in signage and advertising, and interviewing print designers who take stands for or against the primacy of the streamlined sans serif font. It’s really a film about looking, and about sensitivity to visual signs, and something I could see showing at the Clark sometime. Once you’re attuned to Helvetica, you can’t help seeing it everywhere. (2007, dvd, n.) *7*