Helvetica is celebrating it's 50th birthday. The typeface, inspired by the 1896 font Akzidenz Grotesk, was designed by Max Miedinger in 1957 in conjunction with Eduard Hoffmann for the Haas Type Foundry, in Muenchenstein, Switzerland. It is now synonymous with the Swiss style of graphic design that emerged in the 60s - thoroughly modern, with a lack of flourishes or even character that could predjudice the message in the words.
It was probably one of the most famous fonts prior to the rise of the personal computer, but since Microsoft chose to include Arial over Helvetica in their system fonts (probably to save on licensing costs) it has lost some of it's glamour. I have always felt a little self conscious when specifying Helvetica, and if i have been forced to use it to fulfil brand requirements, I have generally felt it wasn't the right occasion - there is rarely a project where I need to communicate 'uniform' or 'austere'. But since I love Swiss typography, I always have a sneaky admiration when it's used well.
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