"It communicates without imposing itself," says the show's curator, Christian Larsen. "It's the face of postwar modernism." The subway-map designer Massimo Vignelli is one of Helvetica's biggest cheerleaders — but it wasn't always so popular. "For postmodernists, Helvetica became the typeface of conformity, because it was adopted by so many governments and businesses," says Larsen. "Interestingly, though, it's going through a revival; younger designers are subverting the clean, corporate aesthetic, coupling it with cheeky images." The curator admits to a slight preference for Univers but notes, "The New York subway system is so easy to navigate — I think that's because it's Helvetica."
—Karen Rosenberg
Email
Link
Print
Where to Eat Cheaply in 2008’s Hard Times
Who’s Afraid of Jimmy Carter?
Only a Market Recovery Will Stop Short-Sellers
The Battling Youths of Union Square
