Did you know that the Helvetica font celebrates its 50th birthday this year? Developed by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland, it was originally called "Neue Haas Grotesk", before it was renamed "Helvetica" in 1961, Helvetica being the latin name for Switzerland.
It is a "neutral type", says Christian Larsen, the curator of the exhibition 50 Years of Helvetica at New York's Museum of Modern Art. There's even a documentary about it, which premiered in Zurich last month (www.helveticafilm.com). It's funny how such a plain font seems to encapsulate "Swissness": It's neutral, it's useful, it doesn't scream for attention...and the Swiss proudly use it on many things, such as the logo and pamphlets for its train service, the official guide to Lausanne from swisspassport.ch, and the residency permit that I just got a few days ago.
In one phrase, it's pure Swiss...
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