Helvetica2007

[first lines]

Rick Poynor:
Type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring.

Michael Bierut:
Everywhere you look you see typefaces. But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from no where. You know, it seems like air? It seems like gravity?

Jonathan Hoefler:
And it's hard to evaluate it. It's like being asked what you think about off-white paint. It's just... it's just there. And it's hard to get your head around, it's that big.

Erik Spiekermann:
Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it's ubiquitous. It's like going to McDonald's instead of thinking about food. Because it's there, it's on every street corner, so let's eat crap because it's on the corner.

Michael C. Place:
For me Helvetica is just this beautiful, timeless thing. And certain things shouldn't be messed with, you know?

Rick Poynor:
Graphic Design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. It's the way they reach us. The designer has an enormous responsibility. Those are the people, you know, putting their wires into our heads.