What’s the most famous typeface ever? Based on ubiquity alone you might say Times New Roman or Arial, the default typefaces for desktop publishing going back to the 1980s. Or internet-everywhere Verdana, or the loved-and-loathed Comic Sans. But throughout the design world, the betting money has always been on Helvetica.
To understand why, just look at this list of logos that have used Helvetica: 3M, AmericanAirlines, BASF, BMW, Epson, Hitachi, Jeep, Lufthansa, Microsoft, Motorola, NBA, Nestlé, Panasonic, Suzuki, New York City Transit Authority (the NYC subway), The North Face, Toyota and WhatsApp. They’re some of the world’s most famous brands, and the list goes on and on. To date, it’s probably the only typeface to have an entire full-length feature film made about it, Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary celebrating its 50th anniversary, Helvetica. (In fact, to date, it’s probably the only typeface whose anniversary has ever been celebrated.)
What’s behind this success? Is it Helvetica’s clarity and legibility? The precise consistency of the horizontal or vertical strokes? Its tight spacing, high x-height and balanced negative space? Yes, but it’s the sum of all the parts that adds up to something more. Or perhaps, something less. Or perhaps, well, something in the middle. That something is neutrality.
Neutrality is Helvetica’s most distinctive characteristic. Designed by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger introduced by the Haas Type Foundry in 1957, the typeface was created to say nothing. It avoids ornamentation. It doesn’t take sides. It’s like the equivalent of a white t-shirt, or a beige suit. Some critics have since called Helvetica bland and boring. And that’s exactly the point.
Boringness is what allows Helvetica – unlike, say, Times New Roman (too newsy) or Comic Sans (too… everything) – to fit seamlessly into a variety of contexts. It’s why, in the end, it became a tool for communicating everything, from brand names to road signs to government manuals to metro wayfinding to advertising. It’s everywhere, quietly shouting its Swiss neutrality from the rooftops.
Helvetica started life as “Neue Haas Grotesk”, but when Linotype licensed it in 1960 it was rebaptized as Helvetica – a name derived from Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland – to underline its Swiss origins. This was at a time when everybody was looking to Switzerland as the forefront in design. The 1950s and 60s were the heyday of the International Typographic Style – better known as Swiss Style – when minimalism reigned and grid systems conquered the world of communication. This was also a postwar, Cold War era where stability, balance and, well, neutrality, may have been seen as desirable virtues in more domains than just design.
However, looking back more than 60 years later, it seems clear that Helvetica did end up communicating something. With its Swiss-sounding name, and its massive global presence throughout the second half of the 20th century, the typeface took on many associations. It became the de facto voice of corporate America, the face of the space age, and the visual representation of modernism. It was so neutral it became distinctive, so boring it became exciting.
Which meant some brands began to look elsewhere for type – even Swiss brands, like us here at Prodir. For years we’ve chosen another forward-looking typeface with deep Swiss roots, Avenir. But as a true Swiss original, we’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for a boring typeface like Helvetica. After all, in a world of loud voices and polarizing opinions, there’s something comforting about a font that refuses to shout, even when it’s saying everything.