Helvetica filmmakers return with new design-oriented doc

For his documentary-directing debut, Gary Hustwit did not follow the local basketball team through its championship tournament. He did not dissect a pressing political issue. And he sure as hell didn't eat exclusively Big Macs for a month.

Instead, Hustwit created a documentary on a font: Helvetica, to be specific. Go ahead, pull it up in your word processor of choice. How compelling does it look to you?

The fact that Hustwit and cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler turned this benign typeface into a rather well-received film says a lot about their sense of style and passion for the concepts of graphic design.

Now, Hustwit and Geissbuhler are re-teaming for Objectified, a documentary that intends to delve deeper into concepts of design and the creative folks who make it happen. Hustwit has this to say about his intentions on the film's blog:

"I’m interested in industrial designers because their work influences so many aspects of our world yet most of the time it’s taken for granted. And I think that, especially today, it’s crucial for us to re-examine how we make and use consumer products at every level."

Interviewees include representatives of New York's Museum of Modern Art, Apple Computers, and BMW. Check out the trailer below:

Related links:
ObjectifiedFilm.com
HelveticaFilm.com
The Atlantic: Gary Hustwit interview

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3 Comments

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By Rachael Maddux on January 9, 2009

I see you tastefully chose to omit mention of the second-greatest thing Helvetica has ever inspired someone to create: http://typophile.com/node/52779.

By Darcy McGee on January 9, 2009

Helvetica was a great film.

Hustwit also PRODUCED (not directed) I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

By Bob talarczyk on January 10, 2009

HELVETICA

This email is in response to the seeing the film, Helvetica.

To The Helvetica Film Team: I recently had the pleasure of watching your movie, Helvetica, and I thought that it was very good overall. However, never once was Geigy Pharmaceutical and its top graphic design team (many now in Helvetica Heaven like Fred Troller, Theo Welti, Marcus Lowe and many others.) mentioned in the role that Helvetica played in the worldwide corporate identity (Branding) that Geigy created using Helvetica. (In the beginning Geigy originally had an exclusive contractual agreement for the use of Helvetica to my knowledge) Geigy literally wrote the book on Corporate/Brand Identity through their in-house design group both in Basel and in the U.S. which many others followed throughout the world and in many cases still follow. We all have creative license to create history as we choose and that is very acceptable here in the colonies, but to have the Swiss designers who were interviewed in your film leave Geigy out is astonishing. All the designers interviewed missed a valuable part of Graphic Design History by leaving out the incredible Graphic Design movement at Geigy, Basel. There has been nothing like it since. Maybe you were aware of this or maybe it was edited out.... but unfortunately many young and growing designers have lost a valuable piece of inspiring graphic design/type history desperately needed in today's industry. Geigy In-House Design ( design/copy standards continued through the merger of Ciba & Geigy ) played a very important role in the use of Helvetica globally in setting Swiss Design standards including the grid, flush left, copy setting and copy writing standards. Most of all, when design©= concept, the audience would actually be GRABBED by the combination of graphic+headline and would actually READ stunning copy in an era of perfection and creativity when design© ruled. In my opinion, you had the opportunity to preserve a fabulous movement in global graphic design© concept guided by Helvetica. Clean & Simple... when marketing wasn't a department and design& copy had a godfather... or today when creativity and democracy = mediocrity.

Thanks, Bob Talarczyk,

Creative Director/CEO Darkhorse Design, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Former Design Director, Producer Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals,U.S.A.