About Helvetica: The Film

Taken from HELVETICAFILM.COM

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day.

The film was shot in high-definition on location in the United States, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. It is currently screening at film festivals and special events worldwide.

Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Müller, and many more.

About Helvetica@RIT

Bringing a screening of Helvetica to RIT was conceived around Fall Quarter of 2006 by School of Print Media students Cristina Stoll and Bryan Yeager. After initially finding the offical Helvetica website, both of them were intrigued by the movie, and wondered if it would be screened in the Rochester area. After talking it over with friend, manager, and type nerd Erich Lehman (who proudly showed off his black Helvetica t-shirt), they decided to go ahead and pursue bringing a screening to RIT.

After contacting the film's coordinator, Christina Ross, to get some details about the screenings, they asked for support from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. Because of the nature of the film, it was decided upon to ask the School of Print Media and the School of Design to co-sponsor the event in order to provide CIAS students with a free screening. With SPM and SOD on board, it was time to plan out the event and how it would work.

Originally, this event was going to be solely an RIT-affiliated event. However, AIGA UP ST NY had planned on bringing a screening of Helvetica to the Rochester area as well. AIGA Program Diva Marjorie Crum contacted Cristina and Bryan in winter, and wanted to see how they could get involved in this screening as well. After some discussion, it was decided that AIGA would also help sponsor the event, as well as do promotion in order to get AIGA members and the public access to the screening.

Finally, this screening seems to be shaping up to become actualized. Things are coming together more and more each day, and everyone is looking forward to the end result. More will be written here as more develops. We have a lot of people to be thankful for as they have helped us along the way, and hopefully many more will enjoy the fruits of everyone's labor on May 11.