Helvetica - A Font that Changed History

Modernism, created at the end of WWI, consisted of clean lines, grids and simplicity. Modernism pushed for new fonts and from there, Helvetica was born. Helvetica is a font based on being simple, clean and even, all things that are representative of Modernism.

"It's air, you know. It's just there. There's no choice. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica" - Erik Spiekermann

Erik Spiekermann believes Helvetica is overused, it's everywhere and we just have to deal with it. He compares Helvetica to a heavier person wearing a too tight shirt, and that Helvetica is like that in a sense. By this he means that Helvetica won't work for everything and you shouldn't use it just because it's there. I agree with what Spikermann says, that just because you have the option to use Helvetica doesn't mean you should, I feel that type should convey a message about what your writing and sometimes different is best. 

"Don't confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing." - David Carson 

Carson is saying that even though you may be able to read what something says it doesn't mean that the feel or message it's giving off may not be what your trying to show or it might not even exist. Helvetica is a font that can be applied to many different things, it's often used and will always look legible and nice, but that  doesn't mean that it'll send of the right feeling. Like if you were to use a Helvetica font for a horror movie, it may not communicate the same as if you used a grunge font.

Helvetica is everywhere, and everyone uses it. It can seem friendly and also seem industrial depending on what you use it for, you'll see helvetica everywhere and used in any way, but remember that it's not the only font nor is it the best font for everything.