Helvetica is a documentary by Gary Hustwit. The movie came out in 2007, 50 years after the creation of the famous typeface with the same name.

It is organized as a series of interviews with graphic designers that talk about their encounter with Helvetica, the main character. Snapshots from the life and spread of Helvetica form the transitions between stories and give dynamism to the entire movie.

The movie starts with friends of Helvetica talking about the order and clarity that Helvetica brings to their graphic design. Surprisingly though, a while in the movie, rebel designers reveal the oppressive facet of the order and pervasiveness of Helvetica, and they tell stories of breaking it in search for freedom of expression. A remote dialogue is formed by friends and rebels, a dialogue that reveals the role of Helvetica and of typefaces in general. Eventually, the tone gets calmer and we are left to judge typefaces on our own.

Helvetica is an educational movie, and a good one for that matter. Albeit the name, it’s not quite about Helvetica. It does have Helvetica at its center, but it is mainly used as a pretext to start a discourse about what typefaces and their importance in communication. Here is one of my favorite quotes:

Even if they are not aware of the type, they [the audience] will certainly be affected by it... in the same way as an actor that is cast into a role will affect someone’s experience of a movie or play. They will still follow the plot, but they will be less convinced. A designer choosing typefaces is essentially a casting director.

I highly recommend this movie, and I guarantee that after spending 80 minutes watching it, you will get more sensitive to the typefaces around you. I know I am.