An interesting interview with the typeface designer, Erik Spiekermann... About his getting a kick out of being the `unknown author`... and the joy of making railway timetables easier to read.
That is what makes a nations culture - the visual surroundings: good architecture, good food and good timetables, or good announcements at stations. I think it is a very important cultural contribution...You can make the most amazing design but most people will never notice it, and that, in fact, is the important point - nobody is supposed to know it has changed - it just `got better`.
Bonus: Spewing venom on Microsoft. `Just to avoid paying Linotype license fees for using the Helvetica font, they contracted Monotype-UK to redesign it...`. Considering the time and money Microsoft spends to protect their own copyrights, it is disconcerting to know how they go about appropriating copyrights of others.
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LINKS
- Helvetica - http://www.helveticafilm.com/
- Wiki - Erik Spiekermann, Helvetica
- The difference between Helvetica and Arial - http://ilovetypography.com/2007/10/06/arial-versus-helvetica/ (the clue - GQR1. In Helvetica, G has a beard, Q has a straight bar, R has a curved leg, and 1 has a chin!)
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