Fontasia

Behind the oft-printed typeface.

by Holly Otterbein

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Gary Hustwit wants to know: "Why is Helvetica everywhere I look?" he asks. "No one had made a film answering that question — or about graphic design in general — so I made one."

It all began when Hustwit wanted to watch a documentary about graphic design, but couldn't find one. His love for slick fonts, white space and desktop publishing is decades-old — it began in the '80s, when he was designing album covers for independent bands. Now that he makes documentaries about those groups, like I Am Trying to Break Your Heart on Wilco and Drive Well, Sleep Carefully on Death Cab for Cutie, he's even more taken with the art. In fact, one question about graphic design eluded Hustwit so much that he made a film about it.

The resulting documentary, Helvetica, explores how the Swiss-made font from the '50s has become one of the most ubiquitous typefaces in the world, appearing on everything from American Apparel ads and Gap T-shirts to stop signs and subway instructions. The short explanation for its omnipresence? Most mid-century typefaces were flowery, and Helvetica's sleek, neutral style appealed to corporations and governments in need of something more straightforward. When Apple and Microsoft made the font available in their word-processing programs, its popularity was forever secured.

The film — which will screen tonight at the Rotunda as a part of WHYY's Community Cinema series — isn't as esoteric as it sounds. Though it has its share of jargon, Helvetica's strength lies in Hustwit's ability to make a film about a font expand into one about corporate America, cultural homogenization and people. He's also funny — his interviews with Erik Spiekermann, a bespectacled German who calls himself a "typo-maniac, obviously an incurable disease," are just as hilarious and endearing as those with the cheeky Paula Scher, an American designer who jokes that Helvetica is responsible for both the Vietnam and Iraq wars.

The mere existence of Helvetica strengthens one of the film's main assertions: People are more interested in various types of design than ever before, even if they don't know the difference between serif and sans-serif. As evidence, the film points to MySpace, where users can employ a certain font to appear feminine (something cursive), über-feminine (something glittery) or Gothic (something that drips blood). It's also apparent in advertisements and TV shows, which have transformed designers into celebrities. Target's branding of Isaac Mizrahi and Project Runway's success is hard to imagine in decades past.

"Mizrahi is famous," says Beth I. Van Why, project manager for DesignPhiladelphia. "That represents a definite cultural shift in the way we view design. Now, we buy the product because the designer is important."

Even the kids are catching on to the importance of design.

"While we may not realize it, things like typography have really become a big part of our culture," says Mark Willie, partner of Willie.Fetchko Graphic Design. "My 8-year-old daughter has a favorite font, whereas I didn't even know what a font was until I was in college."

We just hope it's not Comic Sans.

Helvetica | Screening and discussion, Thu., Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m., free, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-351-0511, R.S.V.P. at whyy.org/memberexperience