helvetica forever: story of a typeface

designboom rating:
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helvetica, as an aesthetic constant, mastered the quantum leap in 1957 from
metal type to the digital age of word processing. a fact that speaks for itself.

content
eduard hoffmann's decision in 1950 to introduce a new sans serif typeface -
new haas grotesk, which later became helvetica - to the swiss market launched
the beginning of the most successful project of his career.

'helvetica forever' is a documentation of the typeface's evolution, from the typesetter's
hot metal type era to the digital age. the book illustrates advertisements and printed material
which have utilized the typeface since its beginnings to the present day,
providing evidence of its versatility and timelessness through the years.

it also includes excerpts from hoffmann's journal, a simple notebook that is an important
record of helvetica's creation, containing proofs relevant to the genesis of the typeface,
documenting every single developmental step for each letter, numeral and special character.
included is a chapter written by indra kupferschmid who provides a comparison to the
predecessors of sans serif helvetica typefaces as well as its contemporaries.

'helvetica is not perfect - but it is reliable, safe, practical, friendly, and extremely tidy.
it was designed for everyday use and in the world of typography, it has become synonymous
with its own characteristics.' - victor malsy and lars müller

is it for me?
especially ideal for graphic and typography lovers alike, it is a greatly documented
illustrated and written history of what has probably become one of the most
beloved typefaces of our time.

designboom ratings:

......................... interesting
................... good read, worth a look
............. very good
....... excellent, recommended
. must have