Post 2 -Candy Typography

Paula Scher

Typography

Paula's thoughts and views on Helvetica .

Paula became a designer during the Vietaman War and strongly equates helvetica as fascism, but not the fascism of the 30s and 40s but rather of the 60s and 70s. At the time the Corporate visual language was strongly influenced by Helvetica and all looked similar, they all had that clean look.

The clean look reminder Paula of having to clean her messy room as an adolescent, and thought that it was a conspiracy by her mother to keep her house clean, and that her childhood rebellion was coming back to get her in the form of helvetica. Even though she uses fascism in its childish form doesnt mean she can't connect the font to real world violence.

She was morally opposed to helvetica because she viewed the large corporations overused the typefaces and were sponsors to the Vietnam War. So she believed that if you used the typeface, then you were a supporter of the War. So how could you use it?.
When Paula was asked if Helvetica was the typeface of the Vietnam War?, What is the typeface of "the Iraq war" , she quickly replied with "Helvetica". Helvetica caused it. Paula had rejected Helvetica because of what it had represented to her, her rejection was repeated through architecture, art, film, and literature.

http://starwarsmodern.blogspot.com/2010/03/helvetica-is-fascist.html

www.computerarts.co.uk/in_depth/interviews/paula_scher