Gothamist: Helvetica, the Prim Juggernaut

Steven McCarthy

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:23:44 -0500

I recommend also reading the essay from which I am quoted, "Helvetica: the Voice of Opposition." It was originally presented at the Hidden Typography conference at the St. Bride Printing Library, London, in October 2003. It's online, just Google it (as this site won't allow URL's in posts).

BODYGUARDS

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:27:34 -0500

http://www.iliveonyourvisits.com/helvetica/ How many of you can tell the difference between Helvetica and Arial? Here is a fun quiz with Examples

robin.g

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:20:56 -0500

Next feature: The Death of Comic Sans.

swiss dots

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:38:32 -0500

bb, this Microsoft logo is not in Franklin Gothic: Franklin Gothic has slanted terminals on the lower case "c" "s" on the top of the "t".

j

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:24:36 -0500

i heart helvetica

nony

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:46:02 -0500

Crate and Barrell uses helvetica predominantly, but their logo is custom-- check the "e"s.

bbb

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:26:46 -0500

microsoft's logotype is franklin gothic bold italic, not helv. and even their new one is trebuchet.

Kevin Walsh

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:18:15 -0500

www.forgotten-ny.com A Copperplate, Arial and Franklin site in a Helvetica world

akzidenz

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:08:52 -0500

The 2nd Avenue station has a few "2nd Avenue" signs along the platform that are in Akzidenz rather than Helvetica. You can tell by looking carefully at the number 2.

gary

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:18:14 -0500

Greetings all. Couple things: - I agree, the term "creator" generally means director of a film, and I didn't direct the Wilco doc, I was one of the producers. - Akzidenz Grotesk and Standard are the same typeface. They changed the name to Standard when it was originally marketed in the US because they didn't think Americans would/could pronounce Akzidenz Grotesk. - The NYC subway signage is Helvetica now. There are some old holdout signs/trains still in Standard (the 2/3 line comes to mind), but the majority of the system and all new signage is in Helvetica. Vignelli wanted to use Helvetica originally, but it wasn't available in the quantity and sizes they needed back in the late '60s, and the MTA had loads of Standard on hand. But even Vignelli's 1972 subway map is in Helvetica. That's enough font geeking-out for me... but thanks for everyone's interest in the film! Cheers, -Gary

jukeboxgraduate

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:17:56 -0500

ttp://www.subtraction.com/archives/2007/0126_the_helvetic.php Hel-FUCKING-vetica.

Toby

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:21:05 -0500

According to the 1970 New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual the 1970s subway typeface was "Standard Medium" not Akzidenz Grotesk, although it is a doppelgänger for it.

ADM

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:16:24 -0500

Hustwit was the producer of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. I could be wrong, but I think a lot of times when movie marketing says "creators of," it means "producers of," and when it says "director of" it means "director of."

Greg

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:06:51 -0500

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart was directed by Sam Jones, not Gary Hustwit, who you credited with "creating" it, whatever that means.

gideon

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:10:50 -0500

Akzidenz Grotesk-- This was indeed the NYC Subway font specified by Massimo Vignelli (who also designed the classic abstract NYC subway map, 1972-79). Akzidenz Grotesk was a precursor to Helvetica and bears a very close resemblance. In recent years, however, some sources have reported that the MTA has switched over to genuine Helvetica. In any case, in the context of the Helvetica documentary, it is appropriate to include the original Akzidenz Grotesk in the subways as part of the same visual/typographic movement of "Helvetization."

jojo

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:52:07 -0500

I'm more of a Futura man myself but Helvetica is my second favorite.

bryan

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:51:48 -0500

oh wow, this is super exciting.

Benjamin Kabak

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:48:11 -0500

Isn't the NYC Subway font Akzidenz Grotesk?

tien

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:44:13 -0500

they should all be fixed now.

nyco

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:37:35 -0500

there is a bug in the urls for the "more" section

parsnip_lee

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:36:16 -0500

thanks for the info, but the links dont work