Helvetica...

Beatrice Warde once said,

"There are bad types and good types, and the whole science and art of typography begins after the first category has been set aside."

Most of the free world has pretty much has subconsciously or at times subliminally witnessed typography in a public forum. Advertisements, billboards, and inner-city graffiti. Or more specifically, on the side of a soaring American Airlines 737, in the hipster hangout of American Apparel, or the scattered public signage that litters American streets.

The latter 3 all have one thing in common... they are all rendered in Helvetica. Being a graphic designer and somewhat of a useless information nerd, I wrote about the awesomeness of helvetica, the not so awesomeness of bad types, and my attempt at taking on a legendary type designer. Enjoy...

HELVETICA

Surviving in our modern-day business world requires companies and organizations to implement strategic marketing and branding solutions—all while staying under budget. The image is everything to consumers. This image or brand has to meet specific criteria to appeal to the masses. Without a strong identity, businesses fail to communicate effectively and clearly, having a deadly impact on their bottom line. Marketing and branding firms are the ideal solution to provide the lifeblood to a business. A cleverly created magazine ad or an easy-to-use website are standard in the industry. It is all up to the designer to know what works, and stay the hell away from what doesn’t. The fact is, in today’s world anyone can be a graphic designer. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft have brought the power of design right to the consumer’s doorstep and have literally invited it inside. From the perspective of the untrained mind, the importance of the design professional has become obsolete. The “I can do it myself” attitude resonates in their heads as they photoshop themselves into a heaving mess. With all of this at hand, we ask ourselves why the integrity of design is headed into a downward spiral. The answer is that there is no integrity left. Because of that fact, we are a nation that is fueled by currency, not creed. Graphic design professionals are now struggling. They are struggling to preserve what they see as beauty, regardless of its monetary value. Unfortunately, our society has gone so far that the beauty is rarely present, and the economy is rearing its ugly typographic head.

Typography is the key element in the creation of beautiful design. Its presence is found on billboards, exit signs, restaurants, newspapers, taxicabs, tee shirts, and storefronts and on, and on, and on. It is everywhere. The importance of typography is too often taken for granted. Amateurs dress up type like it is their personal Barbie doll they once had as a child. Anything goes. Typography is too important to leave in the hands of the carefree individual. Thanks to Microsoft implementing poorly designed fonts as defaults in their operating systems, said typefaces are readily at hand for anyone to use as often as they want. Some can be of use, but the overuse of others has ruined any credibility that they might have had. Fonts such as Papyrus, Comic Sans, Copperplate, and Zapfino are the largest recipients of overwhelming attention. Misused and over-abused, these typefaces have grown to be a representation of unoriginality. They are scattered aimlessly throughout the industry. The history of these typefaces holds an important relevance in order to figure out how we must proceed in design. I am going to discuss the history and creation of each, and show brief examples of individuals who feel not so nice about what these typefaces are doing to the graphic design industry.
So let’s start here—with the worst of all. A font that has been used for everything and can be seen everywhere. It is despised in the design industry. This typeface was influenced by ancient Egyptian history. Papyrus was a material similar to paper used to write or scribe on. It was created from a pithy stem of a water plant, which provided it with a heavy texture. Centuries later, a graphic and type designer named Chris Costello used the ancient paper material as the inspiration for his newest type design. Created in 1982, Costello appropriately named it Papyrus, which was released by the type foundry Letraset in the following year. The typeface was originally hand drawn over a period of six months. Costello used textured paper and calligraphy pens to create the texture that is a signature style of the font. Costello described his goal as a font that would look as though English vernacular was written on ancient papyrus from 2000 years ago. The typeface had rough edges, irregular curves and high horizontal strokes in the caps. The type foundry ITC currently holds the rights to Papyrus and describes the typeface as “An unusual Roman Typeface that effectively merges the elegance of a traditional roman letterform with the hand-crafted look of highly skilled calligraphy.”
At first sight, one might not think Papyrus is so bad. When I was first exposed to the font, I remember noticing the texture that the font had which was unlike any other found on my parents’ PC. I’m sure that most people actually do appreciate Chris Costello’s work when they scroll down the long list of default fonts for the first time. I think that appreciation is ultimately Papyrus’ demise. It is too different and noticeable, and that’s why people like it. Its organic look and rough texture make it perfect for the “green” trend that has been a rising fad for the last few years. Let’s face it. People are unoriginal, especially when they think they are being original. I don’t blame the users though. They aren’t designers, but are merely sets among sets of untrained eyes. The reality is that most design professionals will agree that papyrus has no more self-gratifying use in graphic design.
I recently came across a few websites that are dedicated to the banishment of Papyrus. It is interesting to take a look at what other people have to say about the typeface. One such website, www.typophile.com, is an online forum where people have free range to say what is needed to be said about typography. Papyrus happens to be one of the typefaces that is frequently discussed:

On 3.Jan.2006 Eripitcock said:
“For the record, I recently received an Art Director’s resume which was set with Papyrus subheads. One glance and it went straight to the trash.”

On 19.Nov.2006 James Puckett said:
“Fonts like Papyrus become so popular for a variety of reasons, but in this case, I believe that it’s because Papyrus makes it very easy for designers to be lazy and rip off ignorant clients. For the last few years I can’t go to any city in the USA and not see Papyrus. Hell, two blocks from this building there’s a French restaurant that used Papyrus for its logo! But 99.9% of the uses are drek; just lazy designers using it to fill one of a dozen niches that it doesn’t really, but since it’s so damned pretty and odd it can pass long enough for the check to clear.”

Another interesting discussion I found online came from Chris Costello, the inventor of Papyrus himself. For one reason or another, Costello decided that he wanted to hear feedback from whomever wanted to give it about his masterpiece he created some 25 years ago. On the website http://nomiddleroad.blogspot.com/2006/09/papyruslove-it-or-hate-it.html,
Costello asked “Papyrus… Love it or hate it?” He must have been wondering to himself if the typeface he had created was a monster in its own right. Costello went on to explain,

”When I designed it over 20 years ago, I never thought it would come this far. Love it or hate it, Papyrus is everywhere and will be with us for as long as there are personal computers. I have seen some tasteful treatments of the font that have been executed by talented graphic designers, but I have probably seen even more not-so-very-nice applications (to be polite). 

So, let's hear it. Do you love it or hate it? Is Papyrus a completely original and entirely fabulous font or is it the new Brush Script? This is the place to praise it or to haze it (I won't take it personally, but let's behave).”

Clearly Costello is a self-conscious guy to say the least. The response to Costello’s question invoked many commentaries on both sides of the debate:

Papyrus...Love It or Hate It? (Chris Costello) said:
"I might as well say that I love it, but I'm biased—she IS my baby. However, I never imagined it would be used for real estate listings or yellow page ads all over the universe. I guess the problem began after Papyrus was included with all current operating systems (not my decision). Now anyone can use and abuse it without regard to context so it does get a little tired. Even fonts that I really like, I do not use ALL of the time.

But I do feel the love. Papyrus is widely imitated (Fidelma, Ereshkigal, Parchment) along with one of my other babies, Blackstone (Gaiseric). Although they are digging into my market share, I'm flattered."

Robert said:
"Compared to papyrus, comic sans is down right elegant."

Papyrus...Love It or Hate It? said:
"I must admit, I cringe when I see Papyrus so poorly executed—and so often. But again, like any licensed software, what people do with it is out of my hands.

I think we should all nail Adobe's head to the wall for creating Photoshop. Now any amateur with a pirated copy can throw a few of those awesome filters on an image, add some glowing text and tell the rest of us it's graphic design.

It's scary landscape out there."

windarkwingod said:
"I liked it the first 23 times I used it. Obviously fills an expressive niche that no other font can. It's one cool CNN terrorist, bible-documentary, new-age healing, history-channel, funky food court stall font."

Anonymous said:
"I know it's not your fault Chris, but I loath Papyrus."


In reading all of this, I had to provoke myself to say something about how I felt. That’s what I did, hoping that Chris Costello would respond:

Anonymous (Blake Struhs) said:
"Chris, 


As a designer, I understand the pride that comes along with a masterpiece such as what you created many years ago. I'm sure it was a major accomplishment for you in your career. But let's face it. There's no two ways about it: Papyrus has NO use in design anymore. It has become the "bubonic plague" of the design world. All credibility is gone now. It's not your fault. Your intentions were good, but it's sad to say that not everything turns out like we would hope. 

Papyrus IS among the most overused typefaces ever. You can say that other faces such as Helvetica are overused as well—but there is a fundamental difference between them—that is, Helvetica is clean, proven, and despite it's overuse, has the longevity to survive the overuse. It's gorgeous. Even in the worst scenario, it can't look bad. Papyrus is different. It is a novelty. It can't survive the misuse and overuse at all. It represents the decay that is feeding on our world of art. It should be abolished from any and all operating systems, so that I never have to see it again."

Surprisingly, Chris did respond:

Papyrus...Love It or Hate It? said:
"I can't say it was a major accomplishment; it simply evolved while I was doodling. But now that I think of it, Papyrus did open a few doors for me. About 10 years ago I interviewed for a design position and the studio’s logo was set in Papyrus (back when is was still “cool” to use it). The CD that interviewed me was astounded when I told him I designed the font—I got the job.

This week, a partner and I are pitching a website account for a high-end retailer who also uses Papyrus in their logo and collateral. 

Maybe it will be another shoe-in?"

Again Chris, you fail us. A shoe in?! There’s nothing like the pride of selling out. I think that it’s a little too obvious that Chris stands behind his work. That is important. But Chris cannot deny Papyrus’ reputation, and further, how it could be destroying art and the reputation of designers everywhere. Where’s the integrity?
Papyrus is not the only font made popular by its inclusion in Microsoft’s many releases of the Windows operating system. Comic Sans’ overwhelming popularity is widely accredited to the Microsoft Corporation since the release of Windows 95. Originally created by Vincent Connare, it is classified as a casual, non-connecting script designed to imitate comic book lettering. Connare started working on the font in October of 1994. Connare was a designer for Microsoft and had already created a number of child-oriented fonts for applications. He decided to create a font that would replicate the lettering found in his comic books that he had lying around in his office. Microsoft used the font in programs such as Microsoft 3D Movie Maker. It was later added as a default font for Microsoft Publisher and Internet Explorer. Many designers have brought about widespread controversy over the font saying that it is poorly designed, and its inclusion in the Microsoft Systems package lends itself to inappropriate use. In his own defense, Connare claims that the font was not intended to be a system or default font, but merely to be a typographic solution for packaging of children’s software.
Many websites have been created to protest the existence of Comic Sans. One such site, www.bancomicsans.com, was founded by Indianapolis graphic designers, Dave and Holly Combs. This site has tons of awesome information about the integrity of type. The Combs believe in preserving the history of typography, and taking on the responsibility of protecting art and design. They sum up their thoughts on their website:
“We believe in the sanctity of typography and that the traditions and established standards of this craft should be upheld throughout all time. From Gutenberg's letterpress to the digital age, type in all forms is sacred and indispensable. Type is a voice; its very qualities and characteristics communicate to readers a meaning beyond mere syntax. Early type designing and setting was so laborious that it is a blasphemy to the history of the craft that any fool can sit down at their personal computer and design their own typeface. Technological advances have transformed typography into a tawdry triviality. The patriarchs of this profession were highly educated men. However, today the widespread heretical uses of this medium prove that even the uneducated have opportunities to desecrate this art form; therefore, destroying the historical integrity of typography.”

Sites like this provide the awareness that so many people are lacking. Users need to be informed and have a basic knowledge before opening Photoshop or taking on the task of designing their own newsletter.
Copperplate Gothic is another font that is primarily overused but more so misused. It was designed By Frederick William Goudy for American Type Founders in the 1900’s. Copperplate gothic appears to be a thick sans serif, but at a closer glance, very small serifs can be found. The font was originally created to be used on stationary and society printing. It is often found on commercial printing for logos, signage, and print pieces. This font has the ability to be affective, but only in the right context. It is a classic looking typeface that would work well for vintage styled signage or accented type on a logo. The only problem it has been facing recently is its popularity. It’s not always the font’s fault.
The last of the four typefaces is a calligraphic typeface that is elegant and masterfully created. World-renowned type designer Herman Zapf created the most recent of the four, Zapfino in 1998. The font is loosely based on a typeface that Zapf had originally created some 50 years prior. Zapf worked for Stanford University along side David Siegel, creating a typeface for the mathematics program that contain Greek letters and other glyphs. Siegel told Zapf his idea for creating a typeface that had many variations and glyphs, and wanted to start with one of Zapf’s type samples. Zapf and Siegel began work on the project but before it could be completed, Siegel retired his role and began working to bring color to Macintosh computers. After much delay, Zapf presented his work to Linotype, whom reorganized the project for completion.
Zapfino contains over 1,400 glyphs with some standard letters having up to 9 different variations. It’s not a bad looking typeface. Herman Zapf is truly a genius and should be recognized as one of the greatest type designers ever. It hurts me to say that such a beautiful work of art could be scorned with the inclusion into horrible design work. Users are defacing such a lovely work. I’m sorry, but Zapfino has no place on your Saturday afternoon “BBQ in the park” flier. It was meant for something more. It was not meant to be the tuxedo you duct-taped for Senior Prom. Zapfino is sadly too good for its own good. It stands out way too much, and suffers for it. How could something meant to look so good, be used in such a terrible way?
The fact is, good type is not meant to “look so good” but rather it is supposed to communicate and speak to someone in a way that is subtle to the eye, but very loud and clear to the conscious. It is not meant to be so beautiful that you can’t resist but using it for everything, everywhere.
One of the only typefaces to escape the treachery of overuse is Helvetica. Developed by Swiss type designer Max Miedinger for the Haas Type Foundry in 1957. Developed to compete with other sans-serif typefaces of the time, the original name was Neue Akzidenz Grotesk. The name was changed in 1960 to Helvetica (derived from Confoederatio Helvetica, which was the latin name for Switzerland).
The simplicity and subtleness of the typeface is its saving grace. It can be seen plastered throughout city streets on signage, logos, taxicabs, grocery stores, but yet we never stop to say, “Look at this awful design.” Helvetica speaks all languages, and does it without us noticing. It is a master of blending in, and is free of over-stylized, textured elements. Helvetica could very well be the end all font to typographic form.
Typography is just the messenger. Any modest designer would know that we must not attempt to flood our work with one typeface or another. Typography is a very valuable resource, one that we must conserve and protect. The history of art and the world in general will contain the elements that we are creating today. We must turn around and head into a direction where our world is beautiful again. Typography is the beginning to effective communication that is vital to our existence.
In conclusion, we must admit that typography is just like art in that, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The form of the type and the usage of the type must be looked at separately to conclude why typography in design is not effective. Blaming the creator or hating the typeface alone is not means to an end. We as designers must educate ourselves on the issue, and know effective design in all aspects, not just type alone. Our world is worth making beautiful… turning grunge into grandeur, and that is, the synopsis of a graphic designer.

Sources:

Typophile. (2006, November 21). Papyrus Need To Be Put Back In The Tomb For A Few Decades.
http://www.typophile.com/node/17051

Wikipedia. (2008, February 22). Helvetica.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica

Wikipedia. (2008, February 1). Zapfino.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapfino

Combs, D. & H., (n.d.) Comic Sans. A Disturbing Rise In Comic Sans Usage. http://www.bancomicsans.com/home.html

Helfand, J. (2006, July 20) Design Observer. The Global Course of Comic Sans.
http://www.designobserver.com/archives/016321.html

Costello, C. (2007, July 31) Papyrus… Love It or Hate It.
http://nomiddleroad.blogspot.com/

Costello, C. (2008) Portfolio Site of designer Chris Costello.
http://www.costelloart.com