Helvetica Now: why the Marmite of fonts was redesigned
The love-it-or-hate-it typeface has been given an update to help it survive the internet age
There aren’t many typefaces as well-known or divisive as Helvetica. “Lots of people love it. Lots of people hate it. I love it and hate it at the same time,” says Jop van Bennekom, the creative director and co-founder of Fantastic Man magazine.
Originally developed by the Swiss designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann in 1957, the font has been the subject of a MoMa exhibition and a documentary, and was the typeface of choice for many designers, among them Hedi Slimane. But that Marmite response the font provokes could be about to change, with Helvetica Now: a redesign to help it survive in the internet age.