Monday, May 5, 2008

H is for...


Helvetica.

Obviously.
Blasphemous that Blogger doesn't include it as one of their default fonts. Conjured up by Miedinger and Hoffman at the Haas type foundry in Switzerland in 1957, in 1960 they wisely chose to change it's name from 'Neue Haas Grotesk' to the name we know so well today. Its clean, simple, and timeless lines have been used to capture the image of many everyday brands. Amazing how it is able to be reused time and time again across a mishmash of different products, ideas, and beliefs. Here's an overview:

Enjoy the tight kerning on the 3M logo, and big, bold Helvetica in red is perfect for a company known for taking care of business.

Regardless of what the company stands for, American Apparel helped pave the way for hipsters and their love affair of Helvetica, visible in mags, party invites, and show signage.

The italics make Energizer go zip.

The understated, streamlined look of Helvetica works well to compliment that crazy metallic dog.

Ahhh.... Fendi. An haute couture brand taps into the timeless look of the sans-serif typeface to capture the class and style reflective of their runway designs. Karl even likes it.

No comments: