[Peter]

Got my copy today -- anyone else have it / seen it? Its very interesting!

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Helvetica is currently screening at film festivals, museums, design conferences, and cinemas worldwide, followed by the DVD release November 20th.

[IceEnclosure]

neat I think I'll pick it up. I have a love/hate relationship with fonts.

[design219]

I secretly like Helvetica.

Not heard of the movie.

[Dakarʒ]

Sounds like a nerdy kind of thing I'd enjoy.

[shifuimam]

I'm a big Arial fan, myself.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

I'm a big Arial fan, myself.

*gasp*

You just lost any MacNN street cred you may have had, young lady.




That sounds like a movie I’d adore

[osiris]

Yep, Arial + Monoco, Nadeem, Hei, Harrington & Snell Roundhand for fun. Helvetica can just go to hell. ha!

[Faust]

I had not heard of the movie. I love typography, so I'll get myself a copy. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[scottiB]

I saw a screening at a local design school--very good.

[wallinbl]

This is far more geeky than hard drive refrigerator magnets. No need for alcohol - I think this would put me to sleep before I could even get drunk.

[ort888]

These damn people copied my idea!

I'm making a movie about Sand.

[Dakarʒ]

I'd love to make a movie about the infection of Papyrus in the design world.

[shifuimam]

Actually, I like the new default fonts with Windows Vista a LOT. Calibri and Corbel are really easy on the eyes.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by ort888 

These damn people copied my idea!

I'm making a movie about Sand.

You do that and I swear I'll kill you.

Unless it's a snuff film, and Sand is the victim.

[Peter]

Consolas is a great terminal font too.

Its a great movie btw. Lots of amusing Windows bashing too
You'd be amazed at who uses Helvetica. In fact, you'd be surprised who doesn't use it!

I found a part discussing Marlboro Cigarettes particularly interesting. Anyone feel like recreating this photo, but using the Helvetica font face as the Marlboro logo? Dont have photoshop on home computer.

[Laminar]

Like this?

[Peter]

I was lucky enough to get the special edition box set, too. photos
comes with:


this made me chuckle:


ooh signed:


and this is just cool:

[osiris]

Nice type.

[Dakarʒ]

Originally Posted by Peter 

Dont have photoshop on home computer.

Too good to steal?

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Peter 

I was lucky enough to get the special edition box set, too. photos
comes with:

WTF? This is a movie about typography, and they mistake a dash for a hyphen in the special edition box set contents themselves?

Nice metal type, though.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakarʒ 

Too good to steal?

Or not willing to sink down to Gimp?

[Dakarʒ]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Or not willing to sink down to Gimp?

That's a great statement when taken out of context.

[Oisín]

Crap! They showed this at CPH : DOX just over a week ago. Why didn’t I know about it then?

*grumble*

[Jawbone54]

The Gimp crippled my PowerBook.
hee hee

[andi*pandi]

ooh. sounds interesting.

I'd be interested in watching a film where papyrus and sand duel to the death, only to have the winner be eaten by a lion.

Cooper Black can be the lion.

Then the lion can get the thumbsup from Emperor Univers.

[OwlBoy]

Originally Posted by ort888 

These damn people copied my idea!

I'm making a movie about Sand.

I hate sand.

[BlueSky]

I take it it's no longer hip to diss Comic Sans?

[xi_hyperon]

Like Helvetica? Wear it with pride.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by BlueSky 

I take it it's no longer hip to diss Comic Sans?

Dissing Comic Sans never goes out of style.

(Side note: I had to seriously explain to one of the girls in my web design group why using Comic Sans for the main font on our project web site was not a good idea)

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by BlueSky 

I take it it's no longer hip to diss Comic Sans?

Nah. Sand is the new Comic Sans.

[imitchellg5]

I used to use Helvetica Neue for everything until Apple started using it for everything. They copy me. That looks like an interesting doc, maybe I'll pick it up.

[zro]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

I'm a big Arial fan, myself.

The Scourge of Arial
Helvetica vs. Arial

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Cooper Black can be the lion.

Veer: Ideas: Behind The Typeface


I love that picture of hot type! Seeing an old Linotype machine in action is a real treat. But cold type is better.

[angelmb]

Actually, this is how my desktop looks…

[Peter]

great wallpaper

[scaught]

Do people still hate frutiger?

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by zro 

The Scourge of Arial
Helvetica vs. Arial

It is just a font...as long as it's readable in print and screen form, I'm happy.

Although it does amuse me how seriously people take the "competition" between Helvetica and Arial...had Microsoft wanted to pay the royalites, they would have included Helvetica. Instead, they made their own. Usually when a company makes its own whatever (codec, product, application, etc.) to avoid paying royalties to someone, it's considered a good thing (brings more options into the mix)....for some reason this is seen as a typeface travesty.

[voodoo]

Arial isn't a pretty font. Helvetica is very nice. Classic.

Simple as that.

V

[starman]

I've loved fonts since I was a kid. I was interested in type when I read about Egyptian Hieroglyphics in 5th grade. In 6th grade there was this book about computers which had a computer typeface and for some stupid reason, I copied it into my notebook. In college I used to take books about typefaces out of the library. I've since become a self-proclaimed font whore.

Some of my faves:

Friz Quadrata:



Futura:



Swiss 721:



Avant Garde:



Bank Gothic:



Handel Gothic:



Apple Garamond:

[Dakarʒ]

To me, Bank Gothic will forever be the font that the on-screen text in GoldenEye was listed in.

I also enjoy Swiss 911 and its less bold counterparts.

[starman]

Well, I can't find the limited edition of the movie anywhere. Is there an online store that has it?

[Dakarʒ]

The game, that is.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakarʒ 

To me, Bank Gothic will forever be the font that the on-screen text in GoldenEye was listed in.

Good call on that. Besides Guitar Hero, Goldeneye is the only video game I'm good at. I can kick anyone's ass.

[Dakarʒ]

No one will play me in GoldenEye.

[zro]

I've found I'm incredibly partial to American Typewriter.

[Oisín]

Arno, Dax, and Eidetic FTW!

FF Dax


Adobe Arno Pro


Eidetic Modern & Eidetic Neo

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakarʒ 

No one will play me in GoldenEye.

I will. My N64 is sitting in my basement at home. I'm also pretty good at Blitz 2000.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Arial isn't a pretty font. Helvetica is very nice. Classic.

Simple as that.

V

They look remarkably similar from a distance.

And I am indeed one of the font-obsessed. I have thousands stored in archives on my computer.

I've just never been so obsessed as to lose sleep over the Arial/Helvetica battle. I've used both, and it's just not a big enough difference to warrant worrying about it, or bitching that MS uses Arial (which is being replaced, anyhow).

[andi*pandi]

it's a cheap knockoff vs the original kind of question. There are 50 billion helvetica knockoffs out there, enough that it can make you sick of helvetica itself... it's not helvetica's fault. dammit.

[Oisín]

They look remarkably similar from a distance.

When printed, yes. Not on screen.

And from a distance, Garamond and Times look remarkably similar, too. So do a golden retriever and a spotted hyaena, but only one is likely to try to kill you.

[starman]

Times and Garamond have enough noticable differences to know which is which.