It’s gifts of gold as Helvetica celebrates it’s 50th.
Yes, that venerable font, Helvetica, has been with us since 1957. In an interesting article by Reena Jana, I’ve learned that, in addition to being one of the fonts that we all find as “standard equipment” in our Office suite, it is the font of choice when major companies design their logos. Some firms relying on Helvetica as a part of their identity are: 3M, Microsoft, Crate & Barrel, American Airlines, Staples, Panasonic, Nestle, Fendi, BMW, Jeep, Toyota, Lufthansa, etc. Here are some photos of the font in action.
The article reports that the font was not so popular at its inception. Perhaps it’s original name, Neue Haas Grotesk, had something to do with that.
Helvetica is cited for its simple lines, proportionality, readability, even for it’s blandness (some say it communicates the message while not BEING the message).
Here’s to another wonderful 50 years for the font used by so many successful companies. The Indium Corporation has been doing fine for over 70 years so we’ll stick with our favorite font, Rockwell.
PS: Thanks to Jim Hisert for letting his tricked-out, lifted Wrangler pose for me. His Jeep is the envy of many in our area.
Jim Hisert:
The Jeep logo is iconic for jeep enthusiests, any font change would be blasphemous!