Since high school I have encountered people who don’t see the value of English class or people who consider English a useless degree. However, I recently saw Helvetica which did a great job of illustrating the power of different texts.
The movie documents the rise of the font that was named “Helvetica.” It starts with advertising in the 50s and how exclamation marks and fake pictures were used to enhance communication. However, Helvetica, which was created to be sleek and modern, was able to stay out of the way of the viewer and the message. These characteristics have lead to a stratospheric rise in the use of the font. It is now used everywhere, from tax letters to BMWs, in order to communicate safety and acceptance.
This brings me to the original point about English. The power of English, and an English major, is in its ability to dissect and shape cultural. Being able to look at the form of a text and how it influences society on an individual level, enables a person to have an invaluable understanding of social forces.
So, I’ll end this first blog with a super-cool video about how influential everyday texts can be.
3 comments:
I especially loved all the interviews in the film: all these very Euro-designer types getting revved up about...a font. It's great to see someone who's passionate about something explain why they love that thing so much.
I watched the preview, Thank you for the introduction.
BTW, The power of the written or spoken word is inmense... it literatelly can change the world. I hope for the better.
Thank you you again!
I always try to identify fonts in ads. I'm a nerd :)
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