Helvetica, an imaginative documentary by director Gary Hustwit, explores the fascinating phenomenon behind the iconic font—as well as all the hype behind the type.

In the feature-length documentary Helvetica, director Gary Hustwit looks at the proliferation of one typeface, as part of a larger conversation about the way fonts affect our lives.

Since its creation in 1957 by Max Miedinger, the font Helvetica has captivated the world. Its ubiquity can be easily observed—it’s being used by everything from fine art to print ads, from the glossiest of corporate identities to the scummiest of homemade signs. Throughout the years, it has stayed true to its roots—that of being a genuine Swiss creation: elegant, modern, and attentive to the white spaces between and within each letter.

Hustwit has a knack for finding a universe within a narrow topic (see Moog, his film about the analog synthesizer). In Helvetica, he explores urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them. He also provides us with a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, creative process, and the aesthetics behind their use of type.

He did this by going around the world to interview the most prominent design figures spanning three generations: from old-guard heroes to mid-career pros and young hipsters. They either absolutely love or abhor the font—and it’s almost ridiculous that something so quotidian could incite such incongruity. But, as we discover later in the film, everything in the culture of design is very much split over its cultural connotations and artistic worth.

Helvetica pushes the argument further than all this. Halfway through the film, one sees an essential connection between the realms of visual culture and contemporary ecology: the font’s focus on precision and grid-like segmentation mirrors the increasing homogenization of modern cities: the uproar of the manufacturing era giving way to the over-lit, deodorized landscapes of the post-industrial service economy.

By exploring such a specific, almost mundane topic like a font, Hustwit has expanded horizons of perception. Similar to how Andy Warhol has freed the world from the fangs of advertising, he has opened our eyes to a culture that badly needs reflecting upon.

Helvetica has been screened everywhere from Tokyo to Turkey, but it was most enthusiastically greeted in Zurich. In an interview with the New York Times, Hustwit recalled, “There were 800 people at the after-party which went on until 6 A.M. They had a giant mirrored ‘H’ that was spinning above the dance floor with laser lights pointed at it. It was utterly bizarre.”

It’s funny to think that a font movie (propelled by a gorgeous, ambient rock soundtrack, by the way) would bring back one’s faith in art, but it does. How apt that when the credits roll, one is likely to look at the typeface they’re in with a profound understanding.