Magazine B – Issue 35 (Helvetica)

Magazine B Issue 48 (Airbnb) is available now at LOREM (not Ipsum). Helvetica is a typeface that was first developed in 1957 by the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland. Created to meet the social demand for practicality in 1950s, Helvetica was made to be more functional than decorative. It is now widely used in contexts from designs for public spaces and facilities in Switzerland to the digital interfaces of Apple products. Helvetica’s symbolic quality has earned the typeface recognition as a design icon—and as a brand.

It was during my first year of college that I first really became aware of typography. I was told to work on a monotonous assignment copying the letters of a font one by one in pen. Back then, I didn’t understand the point of this time-consuming exercise. But after studying graphic design and working in a profession that involves choosing the right typeface for each project, if I were asked what the most basic element in design is, I would say without any hesitation that it is typography. That freshman year assignment, I believe, greatly contributed to what I am now.

At its most basic, typography might be a simple set of letters used to convey messages. But the careful selection of font, arrangement, and spacing affects how that information is delivered, making a typeface more than merely a collection of letters. The wrong typeface can render the refined and profound light and superficial, and an unstable combination of fonts can disrupt an entire document. A sophisticatedly designed hotel or restaurant often sets itself apart through a fantastic use of type design. I thought it was a shame that the collection of computer typefaces available for the Korean alphabet was so small, so I worked on a project aimed at creating a new, freely distributed type we called nanumgeulkkol (“font for sharing”). It was actually out of a personal interest in typography.

Because there are many languages, such as those in Korea and Japan, that use characters not based on the Latin alphabet, it can be difficult to talk about letter design across different languages. Instead, it might be easier to see the way they write numbers, which are the same in most places around the world. For example, the numbers on Japanese license plates somehow feel Japanese, while the numbers found on Vietnam’s public signage take on something of that country’s character. This is especially true of handwritten numbers. Perhaps this is because every culture emphasizes different elements.

This month, we introduce Helvetica, a widely used sans serif typeface born in Switzerland. It was the typeface I was supposed to draw for the assignment I mentioned above, and I would say it is one single typeface worthy of careful study even now. The most basic, but also the most sophisticated typeface, Helvetica is perfectly balanced and has a great deal of potential for variation depending on the designer. This explains why, for more than half a century since its creation, Helvetica has been—as it will surely remain—a global graphic design standard. Sometimes Helvetica is criticized for being too rigid or for stifling individuality. But every typeface also has its own merits and demerits, and such criticism is not channeled at Helvetica only.

I believe that the aesthetics of a thing, whether it is a small bag or an imposing work of architecture, is determined by having the aesthetic acuity necessary to find balance for a font in a small space. This requires the sensitivity for the fine-tuning of weights, widths, and spacing in a typeface that can be trained down to 0.001 mm. That does not mean that typography has to be approached professionally by a design major. But those who are skilled in designing and employing typefaces are sure to have an outstanding sense not only for design, but for other fields as well. That is because they must have their own distinctive perspective on the content and expressions they are trying to convey. I’d like to recommend that you look closely at well-designed documents and try to imitate the weight and spacing of the typefaces used. I believe even to an untrained eye, this exercise would reveal a new world of type design.

Discover Magazine B – Issue 35 (Helvetica).

Magazine B is an ad-less monthly publication that introduces one well-balanced brand unearthed from around the globe in each issue. Between its covers, Magazine B not only shares untold stories behind the brand but also its sentiment and culture that any readers interested in brand marketing and management can leaf through with ease. Magazine B attempts to discover truly good brands from today’s market where countless brand-named products are overflowing. Magazine B pursues its quest for true value of a printed medium by becoming a magazine that would be worth possessing, not affected by advertisements since it receives no financial support from the brand, and maintains a unique and independent perspective which is increasingly disappearing due to overflowing information mingled among different media outlets.

Magazine B dedicates each issue to the story of one specific brand, which is one of the well-balanced brands that JOH. discovers from around the world based on four standards: beauty, practicality, price, and philosophy. And each issue is packed with B’s unique insights and in-depth analysis. Magazine B will continue to search brands that it pursues to introduce cover-to-cover, such as Swiss recycled bag manufacturer Freitag and Japanese camping gear maker Snow Peak.

Content

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

COMMENTS
Comments made by Helvetica users in social media

QUOTES
Quotes about Helvetica from designers

OPINION
Hyun Cho, S/O Project CEO and Art Director

TYPEFACE SPOTTING
Communication
Various typefaces spotted in the field

USER CHOICE
Impressions
Typeface designs that influence consumer choices

OPINION
Jordan Crane, Creative Director of Wolff Olins

FEATURES
VS
Logotypes visualizing a brand’s image

HELVETICA IN THE BRANDS
Nuance
Helvetica conveys very different ambiences in a variety of brands

OPINION
Sungmin Choi, Graphic Designer of Studio Sulki & Min

MAKERS
Milestones
Typeface references selected by creators from different fields

INFLUENCE
Typeface Studios
Typeface design studios create original typefaces to communicate with the world

HELVETICA ON THE PAGES
Messenger
Helvetica as a neutral tool for delivering messages

BRAND STORY
Helvetica’s 58-year history and the origins of its prestige

ALBUM
Photos documenting Helvetica’s birth and advance into the market

PEOPLE
The people who created and popularized Helvetica

DEFINING HELVETICA
Helvetica as seen through the press

MONOTYPE
A look at the business strategies of Monotype, holder of the Helvetica copyright

FIGURES
Helvetica’s history and commercial value

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Editor in Chief offers his observations on Helvetica’s core values

OUTRO

Details: Magazine B – Issue 35 (Helvetica)

240 x 170 mm, 164 pages