Let me tell you my type...

Typography, although it seems very dull and an unusual art to some, is the extension of all design, and typefaces give a design a mood/atmosphere. A film that helped me reach this conclusion was the film Helvetica—a full length documentary about the typeface we commonly see and have not acknowledged, Helvetica.

Helvetica was developed by Max Meidinger in Switzerland in 1957 (Typophile). It has been fifty-three years, and yet, the simple and clear-cut typeface is found quite often. Living in New York all my life, I never thought about the typeface used in all the public transit signs. Helvetica has become the common typeface used by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), who seems to have adopted it. In the underground labyrinth or New York subway system, Helvetica directs you to your destination with its simple and legible style. 

The lack of décor and complexity of helvetica helps provide some companies with a level of prestige, such as  American Airlines, and BMW, whom have used the typeface in their logos. Other companies, such as The North Face and Panasonic, also take advantage of Its simplicity by providing a direct and neutral feel. The consumers of some of these BMW, for example, may be higher middle-class and therefore the no frills and less creative aspect of the typeface help appeal to that type of customer. On the other hand, companies, such as Panasonic, target the masses through helvetica's simple, direct, and neutral style. 

Little do we know, Helvetica is very common and one of my personal favorites. It appears at street corners, our favorite retail departments, and throughout daily life. With its many ways to type are the many ways to communicate and convey a message. Using helvetica is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the average typeface.