MOCT

Helv Museum of Contemporary Typography

presents:

Helvetica

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museum of contemporary typography

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elvetica was developed in 1957 by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas’scheSchriftgiesserei(HaasTypeFoundry) of Mßnchenstein, Switzerland. Haas set out to design a new sans-serif typeface that could compete with the successful Akzidenz Grotesk in the Swiss market. Originally called Neue Haas Grotesk, its design was based on Schelter-Grotesk and Haas’ Normal Grotesk. The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage.

When Linotype adopted Neue Haas Grotesk (which was never planned to be a full range of mechanical and hot-metal typefaces) its design was reworked.After the success of Univers, Arthur Ritzel of Stempel redesigned Neue Haas Grotesk into a larger family.

Helvetica is not only the preferred typeface of leading professionals, it is also an all-time favourite among the multitude of codes, signals and signs that flavour urban life. This book sings the praises of the honest worker and solo entertainer of typefaces, Helvetica, and of its forgotten creator and all those who have contributed to its unparalleled international march of triumph over the past forty years.

Filled with pages of color images of Helvetica in use, from album covers and road signs to advertisements and product packaging, the designs gathered together in honor of Helvetica have been created by superb designers and anonymous amateurs from all over the world. The result is an exciting collection of this icon of modern design.

Max (1910 - 1980)

Miedinger

Helvetica’s Creator

Examples of Helvetica

Examples of Helvetica

HISTORY OF TYPE 1400’s:

Guttenberg invented movable typefaces, giving the world a cheaper way to obtain the written word. Guttenburg also created the first typeface, blackletter – it was dark, fairly practical, and intense, but not very legible.

a 1501:

– a way to fit more words onto a page, saving the printer money.

Today, we use italics as a design detail or for emphasis when writing.

B 1757:

John Baskerville created what we now call Transitional type, a Roman-style type, with very sharp serifs and lots of drastic contrast between thick and thin lines.

D 1780:

1470:

1815:

Nicolas Jenson created Roman Type, inspired by the text on ancient roman buildings.

It was far more readable than blackletter, and caught on quickly.

Vincent Figgins created Egyptian, or Slab Serif – the first time a typeface had serifs that were squares or boxes.

Firmin Didot and Giambattista Bodoni created the first ‘modern’ Roman typefaces (Didot, and Bodoni). The contrasts were more extreme than ever before, and created a very cool, fresh look.

A 1816:

C 1734:

William Caslon created a typeface which features straighter serifs and much more obvious contrasts between thin and bold strokes.

Today, we call this type style ‘old style’.

1920’s:

Present:

With the internet, we have such a vast variety of old and new typefaces available for us to peruse and use.

We’re not limited by just one or two typefaces like we would have been a few hundred years ago.

Frederic Goudy became the world’s first full time type designer, developing numerous groundbreaking typefaces, such as Copperplate Gothic, Kennerly, and Goudy Old Style.

William Caslon IV created the first typeface without any serifs at all.

This was the start of what we now consider Sans Serif typefaces.

During this time, type exploded, and many, many variations were being created to accommodate advertising.

1957:

Swiss designer Max Miedinger created Helvetica, the most loved typeface of our time. This was a return to minimalism, and many other simplistic

HISTORY OF TYPE

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cont.

ype is everywhere – street signs, magazines, the web. Every typeface you see around you has been painstakingly and carefully planned out, and each has its own personality and vibe. But have you ever stopped to wonder how the typefaces we encounter everyday came to be?

Who invented them, and why? If you’re interested in learning more about typography, you’ve come to the right place. Terminology explained.

What’s the difference between a typeface and a font?

Before you jump in, let’s clarify the terminology used.

Typography is the art of creating the letters we use everyday. It’s designing them and creating them and making them real. A font is a collection or set of letters – they’re the mechanism you use to get your message across to your reader. Every letter and dash and semi colon would be considered part of a specific font. A typeface is the design you see – the style and look of a specific font.

Throughout history, typefaces have been influenced by technological advances, culture shifts, and just general boredom with the state of typography. Here’s how it all went down:

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

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he Museum of contemporary typography was founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the museum offers free general admission and presents an active program of rotating temporary exhibitions and innovative audience engagement. The museum is home to more than 2,000 works of art in the museums collection, which is one of the world's most prominent collections of postwar and contemporary art.

The 120,000-square-foot building features two floors of gallery space and is the headquarters of The museums Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library, which has been loaning collection works to museums around the world since 1984. Since opening in September 2015, The museumhas welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors. Generous support is provided by Leading Partner East West Bank.

Museum of Contemporary Typography

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museum of contemporary typography