GRAPHIC DESIGNER
The aim of this website is to highlight the achievements of type designer, Eduard Hoffmann, who was the mastermind behind the infamous typeface, Helvetica. At 25 years old, he began work at the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland. In 1956, he commissioned Max Miedinger to design a new sans-serif typeface for the Swiss market to compete with those coming from other companies. It would soon be called Helvetica. Although he did not design the form of Helvetica, he guided Max Miedinger through alterations that perfected the typeface that became the standard for corporate identity, the New York subway system, and so much more. This website shares the story of Eduard Hoffmann's life, how Helvetica was created, and the legacy that he left with it.
Father of Helvetica: The Design
For the design of the website, I considered how typography is purely form, and each letter can be manipulated together to form more complex shapes. Typography design is a very precise practice, and Helvetica is an iconic product of that, so I wanted to zoom in and highlight the details that led to its success.
To keep with the design strategy of only using Helvetica for the composition, I felt I needed to create an icon that would match. After trying to combine an "e" and an "H", I realized that using only the capital "H" would be successful because it would stand fro Hoffmann and Helvetica. Replacing the right stem of the "H" with the Helvetica exclamation point gives it that extra element of excitement. This icon served as the logo menu button for the website.
The final design is adaptable for tablet and phone browsing, as seen below.
Project created as a student at Auburn University, Spring 2023. Created using Figma.