Think what you want

The sans-serif typeface “Helvetica” is widely used within the design community. Fonts such as Times New Roman, the factory setting font for Microsoft is often shunned, yet Helvetica, the factory font for Macintosh is glorified in a film. Is it a beautiful, clean, utilitarian font, or is it simply Macintosh/Windows rivalry? I enjoy Helvetica just as much as I enjoy a meal on an empty stomach, but this quote from Michael Marshall’s “The Straw Men” amused me somewhat:

“Every now and then you’ll see a tattered piece of 1950s signage, something exuberant that harks back to flash bulbs and frozen glamour. Most have been torn down now, replaced by brutal information boards stamped out in Helvetica, the official typeface of purgatory. Helvetica isn’t designed to make you feel anything good, to promise adventure or gladden the heart. Helvetica is for telling you that profits are down, that the photocopier needs servicing, and by the way, you’ve been fired.”