Helvetica is not actually everywhere.
In fact, I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE.
So much for overused and abused…
Rip-offs all over, of course – Helvetica wannabes around each and every corner. Helvetica and the likes of Miedinger gracing Canal Streets of the world on logos, posters, and packaging galore. I tore apart my apartment the night before our first set of photographs were due searching every nook and cranny for a trace of the celebrated sans-serif face.
…Ah wait, of course. Let me back up a wee bit and describe the prompt to you. We had to locate Helvetica in our lives and document it photographically, all to be later combined with given copy and finally designed into a brochure. (No easy feat, I may add, as I have never designed one prior!) The specifications of the assignment as follows:
• You may only use Helvetica for the typeface for the entire brochure • All images must utilize Helvetica and be no less than 300 dpi for printing • Copy is provided, you provide the images • Size and number of pages of the brochure is for you to determine • The title of your brochure must be simply, Helvetica • You must caption or credit all images • You MAY add any text that is pertinent to your brochure • You must provide a full type specimen, all upper and lowercase letters of Helvetica Roman at no less than 64 points • You may use color, but only if you have reason to • All copy should be black, cover may include colored text •
Now that you have a better understanding of the assignment, let me continue on my spiel about how difficult I found it to locate a true Helvetica. It seemed that everywhere I looked utilized a fake specimen or an adaptation of the original face. Luckily we were scheduled for a trip to NYC so I packed my camera, located a type specimen to keep ready on my iPhone, and journeyed around the Big Apple in search of Helvetica. After a long day of visiting scheduled museums, navigating the subways, and locating cheap (but yummy!) food for my small college wallet, I found the examples I was looking for. Next step would involve me actually designing the brochure – a new area of design I’d never been exposed to, and the first assignment of the semester utilizing both text and imagery in our layouts. Luckily, because of the relationship I’d been developing with good ol’ Helvetica with the first two assignments, I felt more prepared. I knew the type well, but it had been awhile since I’d designed anything that had to incorporate photographs on top of copy. I chose to attack the photographic portion first and I actually designed a majority of my layout based on the picture series I had taken of my classmate, roomie, and friend, Bri – modeling American Apparel’s shopping bag outside of their store on 5th. From there it was comps upon comps and I didn’t even figure out my cover until the night before it was due.
Printing was probably the biggest hassle ever. I couldn’t get the colors right. I suppose in the end, though, I now know my Epson printer’s color settings VERY VERY WELL. (Which has helped me with later projects so much!)
I’m tired and I honestly having nothing witty to say. Perhaps next time.
Cheers,
Jennifer Leigh
jen-rants 