- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Lars Muller Publishers; illustrated edition edition (May 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 3907044878
- ISBN-13: 978-3907044872
- Product Dimensions: 16.5 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,077,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
A declaration of love of a particular kind in a small but elegant format. No design library should be without it. --Novum
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface. It is simple and clean, and commonly seen in advertising, signage, and literature. The R has a curved leg, and the i and j have square dots. The Q has a straight angled tail, and the counterforms inside the O, Q, and C are oval. It is an all-purpose type design that can deliver practically any message clearly and efficiently. It is one of the most popular typefaces of all time. Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface presents 400 examples of Helvetica in action, selected from two diametrically opposed worlds. Superb applications by renowned designers are juxtaposed with an anonymous collection of ugly, ingenious, charming, and hair-raising samples of its use.
Designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger for the Haas foundry in Switzerland, Haas Grotesk, as the type was originally called, was based on the grotesques of the late-19th century but given new refinements that put it in the sans serif sub-category of neo-grotesque. The 1960s saw the typeface renamed Helvetica (for Helvetia, is Switzerland's Latin name) and introduced to the United States. Today, Helvetica is popular again, used by young designers for posters and party flyers. The book is Lars Muller's hommage to this icon of modern design, an icon which he favors in his own work.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's no Akzidenz,
By
This review is from: Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface (Hardcover)
First the mystery: just why was every alternate page in the book joined together? The reader has to carefully cut the perforations to be able to look at every page. I can't find any reference in the small amount of text about this. My conclusion is that the public use of the type is on the open pages and non-public (or designed) examples are on the perforation joined pages. At least you'll know if you buy a pre-used copy though.
Apart from the perforations I thought this was a handsome little book and homage in the title is very apt. Helvetica is probably the world's number one communication choice, it works just as well on a municipal sign or a new baby announcement. Before it gained a monopoly each nation seemed to have its own jobbing type, Franklin Gothic in America, Gill Sans in England or Antique Olive in France, for instance but the super clean lines of Helvetica (and computer typesetting) meant it was no contest for all the others. The author mentions the uniqueness of Swiss design in the Fifties partly because the top designers always used the same typeface, the stunning Akzidenz Grotesk, which fitted into their rather austere but elegant graphic solutions even though it only had two weights, Medium and Bold. Who needs italic, extended, condensed, extra black and the other weights to communicate efficiently? The rest of the world for a start. From the late Fifties Swiss designed Helvetica spread across the globe and you'll see from the hundreds of examples in these pages some wonderful design solutions, especially the two hundred plus logos that use the face in all sorts of variations. As a typeface there are probably a few dozen Helvetica weights now available. Incidentally, the author suggests that Arial, the default type used on Outlook Express for most emails is a digital Helvetica, close but no cigar! The most obvious differences are the cap G and the lower case s and t. 'Homage to a typeface' is a lovely book that'll interest most typographers and anyone who is curious about a lettering style that seems to be everywhere.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews) 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's no Akzidenz,
By Robin Benson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface (Hardcover)
First the mystery: just why was every alternate page in the book joined together? The reader has to carefully cut the perforations to be able to look at every page. I can't find any reference in the small amount of text about this. My conclusion is that the public use of the type is on the open pages and non-public (or designed) examples are on the perforation joined pages. At least you'll know if you buy a pre-used copy though.
Apart from the perforations I thought this was a handsome little book and homage in the title is very apt. Helvetica is probably the world's number one communication choice, it works just as well on a municipal sign or a new baby announcement. Before it gained a monopoly each nation seemed to have its own jobbing type, Franklin Gothic in America, Gill Sans in England or Antique Olive in France, for instance but the super clean lines of Helvetica (and computer typesetting) meant it was no contest for all the others. The author mentions the uniqueness of Swiss design in the Fifties partly because the top designers always used the same typeface, the stunning Akzidenz Grotesk, which fitted into their rather austere but elegant graphic solutions even though it only had two weights, Medium and Bold. Who needs italic, extended, condensed, extra black and the other weights to communicate efficiently? The rest of the world for a start. From the late Fifties Swiss designed Helvetica spread across the globe and you'll see from the hundreds of examples in these pages some wonderful design solutions, especially the two hundred plus logos that use the face in all sorts of variations. As a typeface there are probably a few dozen Helvetica weights now available. Incidentally, the author suggests that Arial, the default type used on Outlook Express for most emails is a digital Helvetica, close but no cigar! The most obvious differences are the cap G and the lower case s and t. 'Homage to a typeface' is a lovely book that'll interest most typographers and anyone who is curious about a lettering style that seems to be everywhere. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover. 11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book, unforgivable, shoddy binding,
By Leesa - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface (Hardcover)
I'll start by saying that this is a lovely tribute to the most invisible, versatile and ubiquitous font. It is a full bled chunk of photography and unintentional wit.
Buuuttt.... The binding is absolutely horrendous. I'm not referring to the imaginative use of perforation, either. The binding completely fell apart after flipping through it once. The pages are not folded and stitched and only held in with apparently inadequate adhesive. I am now the proud owner of a nice stack of loose paper. Due to the fact that the reader is expected to separate the perforated edges- the book becomes non-refundable. So, although I wish I could recommend this little book due to content I strongly advise that you not purchase it. 8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How can you review a book if you haven't even seen it.,
By "jameskevstone" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface (Hardcover)
... Great book... in a lovely format... shows how many different guises Helvetica can give. Love the hidden perforated sections too. A book you'll pick up time and time again ...
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