模糊记得多年前读汉宝德,他用“现代主义”的关怀来描述圣彼得堡的市政规划理念。这不仅仅是因为相比于其他欧洲城市,圣彼得堡以其高层的建筑和更具功能性的实用主义倾向而闻名,但更为重要的是在汉宝德看来,它无不体现了“安得广厦千万间,大蔽天下寒士俱欢颜”的社会理想。从这方面来看,现代主义的功能性的实用主义的倾向的确可以有一些社会理想在里面。所以在纪录片中Helvetica 的支持者会认为即使Helvetica的确在被商业和广告滥用而广受诟病,他们仍然会坚持使用,并声称 "(Helvetica) is not capitalism but socialism, because everyone has access to it."
但在后现代主义者看来,这却完全不是这么回事。一方面他们理所当然的认为 Helvetica 是马尔库塞所描述“单向度社会”、“单向度的思想”和“单向度的人”的现代社会的最贴切的表现。它是霸权、无趣、死板和同一化的代名词。进步一来说,后现代主义者们还给 Helvetica 赋予了更多政治意义。纪录片中的那位女设计师自然而然的将 Helvetica 和美国政府的政治宣传联系到了一起,而由于上世纪六七十年代的特殊政治环境,Helvetica 在她的眼中成为了越南战争的帮凶。她甚至认为"If you use Helvetica, you support Vietnam War"。随着“政治正确”的理念在美国的膨胀,Helvetica 在他们看来甚至需要为此后的伊拉克战争等等负责。所以Helvetica可以被当作最合适的标示字体,因为它无处不在的传达出一种权威的命令式的口吻让后现代主义者浑身不适。从另一方面来说,后现代主义者认为"legible is not communication"。虽然从功能性出发,Helvetica改善了字体的可读性和可辨识性,但后现代主义者们认为识别出一段文字和理解一段文字有很大的距离,识别更不等于真正的交流。
如果Helvetica是设计师的空气,那么Times New Roman就是成天在电脑面前码字的研究生们的空气了。这种更为过时的字体还传闻是 Poggio Bracciolini 的手写字体,而这其中又有书写和现代性之间千丝万缕的联系。葛林伯雷(Stephen Greenblatt)的新书 “The Swerve”介绍了布奇里尼 (Bracciolini)对于卢克莱修《物性论》的再发现,葛林伯雷甚至用“世界如何变得现代”作为这本书的副标题来说明《物性论》的再发现对于现代化进程的推动。而有趣的一点是, 布奇里尼正也因为他的优美而清晰的书法(beautiful and legible handwriting)而闻名,而整个罗马字体(Roman type)的当代印刷字体也是在他的手写字体上发展至今。所以,巧合的是布奇里尼不仅在思想层面以卢克莱修《物性论》的研究推动了现代性,而且在印刷文字的物质层面,他的字体遗产也一直保留至今,并仍带有现代性的痕迹。
My Favorite Quotes from Helvetica: ===========================
On Typeface Selection: ------------------------------- Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring. The sort of classical modernist line on how aware a reader should be of a typeface is that they shouldn't be aware of it at all. It should be this crystal goblet there to just hold and display and organize the information. But I don't think it's really quite as simple as that. I think even if they're not consciously aware of the typeface they're reading, they'll certainly be affected by it, the same way that an actor that's miscast in a role will affect someone's experience of a movie or play that they're watching. They'll still follow the plot, but, you know, be convinced or affected. I think typography is similar to that, where a designer choosing typefaces is essentially a casting director.
On Helvetica: ------------------ A neutral typeface which invites open interpretation and indicates Inherent rightness.
Everywhere you look you see typefaces. But there's one you probably see more than any other one, and that's Helvetica. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from no where. You know, it seems like air? It seems like gravity? And it's hard to evaluate it. It's like being asked what you think about off-white paint. It's just... it's just there. And it's hard to get your head around, it's that big. Helvetica has almost like a perfect balance of push and pull in its letters. And that perfect balance sort of is saying to us - well it's not sort of, it *is* saying to us - "don't worry, any of the problems that you're having, or the problems in the world, or problems getting through the subway, or finding a bathroom... all those problem aren't going to spill over, they'll be contained. And in fact, maybe they don't exist."
On Simplicity: ------------------- Don't confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. There is a very thin line between simple and clean and powerful and simple and clean and boring.
Miscellaneous: --------------------- Life of a designer is a life of fight, fight against the ugliness. You're always a child of your time, and you cannot step out of that.
My Favorite Moment in the Documentary: =============================== Michael Bierut making his passionate statement: “In Helvetica, period!!!”
Helvetica 对于我来说,就是冷静、清晰、精准的代言词。能简单,绝对不要复杂。不要有任何情感,每一个细节无可挑剔。
Helvetica,拉丁语“瑞士的”,完美的现代主义字体设计,读起来看起来都好舒服。原来身边存在那么多Helvetica设计,惊讶于设计师可以用如此充沛的词汇来描述形容一款字体。字体和空间的关系,字体本身的正负关系和结识的矩阵体系,神奇的美学。大师说,真正算得上好的字体大概有一打,他常用的只有两三
so cool
在科普之后非常辩证地分析了Helvetica背后的意义,本质上非常像(Helvetica代表的)现代主义与后现代主义之间的碰撞。H的中立、简洁、秩序感代表着一种风格,受到一部分设计师的推崇,也就不可避免地被另一群人认为是乏味的、缺乏个性的。潮流即是不断在变化的,经典虽是经典,只是不要盲目崇拜便好。
detail matters
Helvetica用了这么多年的字体 哎 很好的片子 很直观的表达
为一个字体拍一部纪录片,真是难得。每天都在用这个字体,知道它名字的又有多少。实用主义的理性和美学的结合,它真的很耐看。
http://www.helveticafilm.com/ | Download Helveticafilm here: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1018081. + Chinese subtitles here: http://tinyurl.com/4xkv72 | 这篇讲Arial和Helvetica的文章很有学术味道,写作方式也很学术。什么是我们真正需要的英文字体——由Arial和Helvetica 的比较引发的思考。 http://snurl.com/25f
journalism课上放的。还算有趣。
很直观、丰富、中性、有教益的纪录片。Helvetia=瑞士/Helvetica=瑞士的
非常骄傲呀~西文字体盛大YY~
現代主義與後現代主義!
字体也有大学问。
不错,远不只是关于Helvetica。OL:http://www.jlpfans.com/player/a99880d39e5daec3-1-0.html
里面那些字体设计师一个个都是大毒舌,听他们骂人可真是丰富了表达词汇呢。
用了有几年,从来没用心看过它的名字到底怎么念
认识和了解这一伟大的无衬线字体。后现代主义典范,纯粹,理性,权威。中文字体感觉唯有微软雅黑有此份量但也望尘莫及。片末的主题升华很不错,从字体到设计,学问很多。
平等理性的看待海尔外提卡 睡前我想了一下 这是哲性问题 先是人们需要一种新的事物打破现在的混沌 然后新的来了 一窝蜂的赞美和普及 然后又权威混沌垄断了 有人维护经典 有人开始质疑权威 有人认为已经到达顶端 有人固步自封 有人认为这是另一个混沌 有人还不知道这一切
想到关山最爱的大标宋
70年代时,年轻一代都追捧迷幻剂一样的字体,到了80年代,他们的思想完全乱成一团,他们不知道在乎什么,但他们知道要反对什么,那就是 Helvetica。当字体排印设计终于陷入了不可挽救的混乱中,设计师们在90年代末能做的就是回归了,回归到早期的设计方式,并用一套新的理论来支持它。