There’s no choice, you have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica”. Erik Spiekermann (who was actually a part of the 1983 redesign of Helvetica), a self confessed “type addict”, says that “a real typeface needs rythym, needs contrast, it comes from handwriting…Helvetica hasn’t got any of that. Unfortunately, not everyone likes Helvetica. Helvetica used on signage in a British airport. It is also used prolifically in signage (such as in the New York Subway system, British airports and the Madrid Metro) thanks to its legibility and clarity. Companies such as Jeep, American Apparel, BMW, Microsoft and American Airlines all use a form of Helvetica in their branding. Helvetica is among one of the most used (some say overused) typefaces, especially in corporate branding. The aim of Miedinger was to create a type which was neutral, easily legible and had no meaning in its form-basically, a typeface which was “invisible”.It was reworked in 1983 to Helvetica Neue, which had a more uniform set of widths and heights. It was originally called Die Neue Haas Grotesk, but was renamed in 1960 by Haas’ German parent company Stempel.
Helvetica was created in 1957 by Max Miedinger of the Haas Type Foundry in Switzerland. I mean, I don’t think there’s been such a hot thing since.” Mike Parker (Director of Typographic Development, Mergenthaler Linotype USA, 1961-1981)
“It was exactly what the designers were looking for. One of the most popular fonts of all time, and the one that turned the design world completely on its head.