Crate & Barrel, Nestle, American Apparel, evian, Kawasaki, North Face, American Airlines.  What do they all have in common?  They’re all widely recognized brands, but what makes them so recognizable?  What drives their brand awareness?  Press releases, banner ads, shopping bags, and articles certainly play their part, but did typeface come to mind?

Recently, I watched an entire documentary on typeface.  It gets worse than that.  It was an hour and twenty minutes on just Helvetica and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Originally developed in Switzerland 50 years ago, Helvetica is now one of the most widely used typefaces in the world described by experts as “clean,” “professional,” “efficient” and “industrious.”

But it’s more than just corporations using Helvetica typeface.  New York City and Chicago both use the ubiquitous typeface in their public transportation signage, and the U.S. government uses it on its federal income tax forms.  While Helvetica may convey a sense of modernism when you see it used by Verizon Wireless and Apple, it delivers a different tone when you read “Caution!” “No Littering,” or “Exit Only.”

There are many elements that go into your brand’s messaging, but amid all the PR activity surrounding coverage, awards, speaking opportunities, who knew typeface would ever enter the equation in setting the tone?