Farewell to typographer Mike Parker, 1929-2014, who is considered the “Godfather” of Helvetica. Helvetica is the ubiquitous typeface that we almost don’t see, because it is so pervasive in society. Think of these logos, and you’re seeing Helvetica: American Airlines, Harley Davidson, JC Penney, The North Face, Jeep, Toyota, Sears, Target, Microsoft, Tupperware, 3M, Energizer, CVS Pharmacy, I could go on… I rarely use Helvetica in my designs, mostly because of its ubiquity, and because there are so many wonderful alternatives. Here is a lesser-known, and much more beautiful typeface called Starling, also by Mike Parker:

…and here is one of the original notes and type specimens of the birth of Helvetica from 1957, then known as Neue Hass Grotesk:

Thank you, Mike, for your contributions to the design world.