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Commentary

Ambassador of Helvetica

Mark Simonson on March 18, 2004

The unsung James P. McGlynn introduced America to the typeface that has become the nation’s most ubiquitous. He passed away this week in Oakland, CA.

4 Responses to “Ambassador of Helvetica”

  1. nick shinn says:
    03.19.04 at 10:38 am

    Interesting.

    Was it his idea to get the font(s), or did a customer suggest it?
    Had the typeface been advertised previously by Haas in trade journals published in the US (or by direct mail to US typesetters), or did McGlynn have a special interest in bringing new European typefaces to the US, and been researching in European trade publications? Or did he come across it in a European trade show (eg Frankfurt)? Or had he already acquired fonts previously from Haas, and was a regular customer of theirs?

    Had ads by European companies (eg Lufthansa), using the typeface, already appeared in US magazines (eg Holiday), and would those ads have been pub set in the US, or was the entire film for them shipped to the US from Europe?

  2. Mark Simonson says:
    03.19.04 at 10:53 am

    Good questions, Nick, but I have to admit that I never heard of this guy until seeing his obituary. I think it’s interesting and wish I knew more about it. (The link was sent to me by someone who doesn’t care to be identified.)

  3. Wouter van der Land says:
    03.19.04 at 12:17 pm

    One may argue that the introduction of Helvetica/Haas Grotesk in the USA was not such a good idea. Like the introduction of rabbits in Australia. Yet I think that, even as early as in the fifties, it was certainly a good idea to remove some from Switzerland.

  4. Hrant says:
    03.19.04 at 12:35 pm

    :->

    Riddle: How do you teach rabbits to swim?

    hhp

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Typographica is a review of typefaces and type books, with occasional commentary on fonts and typographic design. Edited by Stephen Coles, also of Fonts In Use and The Mid-Century Modernist.

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