Of the many, many fonts the age of computers have bestowed upon us, few are better loved than Helvetica. It’s the People’s Font—clear, classy, with just a hint of a casual air, and mighty easy on the eyes. And now one of the font’s originators, Mike Parker, has passed on at the age of 84. according to Parker’s son, Harry, Mr. Parker didn’t draw the actual font, but was largely responsible for it. In the Helvetica documentary (it sounds boring, but it’s fascinating) Parker says of the font, “It is not a letter that’s bent to shape; it’s a letter that lives in a powerful matrix of surrounding space,” he said. “It’s — oh, it’s brilliant when it’s done well” …
