Love it or hate it. Helvetica has been a lasting part of graphic design since its inception. You see Neue Haas Grotesk (the original name until 1960) on a daily basis whether you know it or not. Its relationship with designers has pushed its popularity into a feature film, “Helvetica” and now the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is presenting a new exhibit “50 years of Helvetica“.
I myself have weighed in on Veer’s “Love/Hate” Helvetica blog (I went for the love it). I feel that anything that can polarize a designer like this font deserves its moment in the sun and for Helvetica that time is now.
I have to admit there was a time where I was anti-H. I still wear a t-shirt from college that our class designed that simply states “Screw Helvetica”. But as I get older, and hopefully wiser, I look at Helvetica like a warm blanket or an old friend. It is a constant, it has never changed with the times or been redesigned to the “new, trim, or fun” version. Helvetica has its place in our lives and as a writer from the BBC put it “Helvetica means your train is on time, your flight will not crash, your life will go on.”.
So happy 50th Helvetica and congratulations.
