For Logo Power, Try Helvetica

The 50-year-old typeface contributes to the branding success of many major tech, auto, and airline companies

by Reena Jana

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While it's hard to make a direct link between a typeface and a company's annual revenues, it's clear that corporations and designers now understand the potential power of a logo. And the logos of many top-selling, enduring brands share a single typeface in common: Helvetica.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the sleek, streamlined font is used by countless corporations, from 3M (MMM) and Microsoft (MSFT) to American Airlines (AMR) and Staples (SPLS). Its simple lines and proportional letters make it easy to read, whether on a tiny package of Post-it notes or on the side of an airplane. For decades, the typeface has proven an effective element of many a corporate branding and marketing strategy.

The font is so influential that New York's Museum of Modern Art recently acquired an original set of Helvetica lead type dating from the late 1950s. It's the first typeface in MoMA's permanent collection, and the subject of a small exhibit, 50 Years of Helvetica, on view through March, 2008.

And a new, reverential documentary film, Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit, is touring universities and international design events. A five-minute excerpt of the movie, featuring everyday scenes of Helvetica in use—shots of, say, a Staples store entrance or a Panasonic logo—is shown in a continuous, silent loop at MoMA. Watching the endless parade of corporate logos is a little like walking through a mall.

Strong Brand Identity

3M began using Helvetica in 1978. The longevity of the typeface's reign there emphasizes the key element it plays within the corporation's brand identity—one that the $22.9 billion company doesn't plan on changing any time soon.

"We don't have a long name—just a numeral and an alphabetical character. So typography becomes very important to our logo," says Karyn Roszak, a manager in the corporate identity and design department of 3M. "Helvetica is straightforward and no-nonsense. Not to mention bold and strong visually."

But Roszak also points out that because Helvetica has been around for a half-century and is readily available in word-processing programs, it's familiar to employees and customers around the globe. That sense of familiarity translates well across the company's divisions—from adhesives to nanotech—and therefore aids internal communications.

"Because of the diversity of the company, we have all the more reason to have a logo that translates well in all markets that we're in," Roszak says. She adds that 3M also uses Helvetica in internal documents, such as brochures on benefits for employees, and that staff members are encouraged to use Helvetica in their e-mail signatures. It's all about remaining consistent with the brand identity, Roszak says.

Mass Appeal

Microsoft and Panasonic are also faithful to using Helvetica in their logos, while automakers and airlines favor the font, which remains legible even in motion. The letters BMW (BMWG), for example, are set in Helvetica, as are the names of Jeep (DCX) and Toyota (TM) as they appear on vehicles. Both Lufthansa and American Airlines planes are emblazoned with Helvetica type, which can be seen clearly from an airport gate and during takeoff or landing.

Some type experts believe that Helvetica's generic look is the key to its success. Because it's accessible and inoffensive, it's appealing to corporations and consumers alike.