Alaa Saad

Helvetica, "probably the most successful typeface in all of history", made its debut 60 years ago this year. Thanks in part to these sans-serif types, the International Typographic Style, otherwise known as Swiss Style, has dominated screens, advertising and Ikea labels since the second half of the 20th century. You will find it on U.S. tax forms and web pages. Peter Hulm pays tribute to the Swiss Style and looks at its origins, influence and fractious past as Armin Hofmann, one of its most original practitioners, turned 100 on 29 June.  

السحر المغلف بالغموض سيصاحبنا في رحلة بصرية إلى القاهرة، تزامناً مع الذكرى الـ 34 لرحيل ساحر السينما العربية، شادي عبد السلام، في أكتوبر 1986م، السحر الذي يتوهج وسط أهازيج وأفكار وفنون المخرج السينمائي العبقري، من خلال صورته السينمائية الاستثنائية التي وضعته في نقطة وسط بين السينمائي والفنان التشكيلي، وصاحب الفيلم الوحيد الذي لن يُنسى أبداً من ذاكرة السينما العربية. "صانع المومياء" الذي كان رغم قلة إنتاجه من حيث الكم، ناجحاً تماماً من حيث الكيف في صياغة مشروع واضح المعالم على المستوى الفكري والفلسفي، نقله لنا بصورته المعبرة عن عبقريته السينمائية، وعلى المستوى التقني، نجح في أن ينقل لنا جمالياته الغامضة بلمسات الفنان التشكيلي الساكنة في روحه، الصعيدي الذي خطفت الإسكندرية قلبه وسنوات طفولته وصباه.

  Milton Glaser (b. June 26th 1929) is among the most celebrated graphic designers in the United States. Milton Glaser emerged as a prolific purveyor of visual culture in the 1960s. Glaser’s brand of graphic design distinctively captured the spirit of the psychedelic sixties. Bob Dylan, The Rolling stones, and The Beatles were all packaged in concert poster and vinyl records with Glaser’s groovy blend of comic book colors and clear-cut images. Glaser’s catalogue of designs certainly convey a Warholesque blending of abstract expressionism with everyday items and the icons of the time. Similar to Andy Warhol, Glaser redefined the Western conception of Popular Art that appealed to the media culture. Graphic design emerged as a standard of twentieth century art due to Glaser’s contribution to advertising popular culture. However, to exemplify the lingering influence of Glaser’s work within the frame of modern culture, his biography will be slightly explored.

Typography can invoke a feeling, remind you of a certain brand, or create an atmosphere. In branding, think about the boldness of the FedEx logo (with a sneaky hidden arrow!) or the classic blackletter style of The New York Times’ masthead. For editorial typesetting, think about the layout of your favourite magazine. And on your phone, think about how different fonts are used across different apps. But when typography its bad, it can be jarring and distracting, even unreadable. Think about the last time you were confused by messy type in an app, were misled by unclear signage or struggled to understand an illegible pamphlet or packaging product. When you think about it, the art and science of typography is the basis of all communication such as logos, ad copy, headlines in magazines, and newspapers or chapter headings in a book.

Mario Puzo’s The Godfather now functions the way fairytales or Bible stories do. It’s become a fundamental narrative deeply embedded in the collective psyche, regularly adapted and reworked for radically different settings. Stripped to its essentials, this is a story of unwanted succession, of an heir to the throne who yearns to escape his destiny. “What Michael wanted was out, out of all this, to lead his own life,” Puzo writes. Watch the first season of The Crown and you soon realise that it is The Godfather narrative that is unfolding before you, with a young Elizabeth cast as the reluctant heir who, like Michael Corleone, “couldn’t cut loose from the family until the crisis was over”. Michael, son of mafia boss Don Corleone, is the archetypal prince who cannot be free, and is eventually transformed and hardened by his duty.