This week we focused on one of my favorite, and often complex, areas of design – typography. I’ve been surprised by the expressiveness and capability of type to elicit a response throughout my career, and I find working with it to be a fun puzzle to explore within the design process.

I was excited to be given access to the Helvetica documentary through this course. I’ve wanted to watch this film since my college days, and I haven’t ever had the opportunity. It was something my wife was able to join me in, which was a fun change of pace (for course work). I was interested, and pleasantly surprised, by the fact that they covered both sides of the spectrum of Helvetica; those who saw Helvetica as a type standard or icon, and those who hated the typeface and avoided it at all costs. I’m not sure why I figured the movie would only cover the celebration of Helvetica, but enjoyed the inclusion of both points-of-view and those who contributed commentary.

It also hit me that modern graphic design is such a new industry, that many of the “design giants” that we learned about in art history and graphic design courses, are still around today! It’s a fun thought to be able to be piers with your design influences.