Episode Information
INDEPENDENT LENS
Helvetica
Airs Tuesday, 11/3 at 11 p.m. on CPTV
The typeface Helvetica is ubiquitous, spelling out everything from IRS tax forms to the corporate logos of Target, Crate & Barrel and Fendi. In “Helvetica,” first-time director Gary Hustwit explores urban spaces and the typefaces that inhabit them, and speaks with historians and designers about the choices and aesthetics behind the use of fonts.
Born in 1957 of Swiss origin, Helvetica was a typeface for the modern age. Sleek, streamlined and simple, it became the font that launched a thousand corporate logos — from Minneapolis to Melbourne to Munich. As neutral as the country of its birth, Helvetica was capable of being invested with the aspirations of millions of consumer products, a typeface whose meaning was created in the eye of the beholder. “Helvetica,” is part of the seventh season of the Emmy ® Award-winning PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS. Terrence Howard hosts.
