Helvetica

"Type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring." 

-Rick Poyner

"The meaning is in the content of the text and not in the typeface, and that is why we loved Helvetica." 

-Wim Crouwel

"You can say, "I love you," in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work."

-Massimo Vignelli

I just finished watching Helvetica (2007), a film that documents the reign of this Swedish-born typeface in Post-modern times to it's affect on today's visual culture. It sounds a bit boring, a film about a typeface, doesn't it? But as a design student I found the insight of the designers, artists, and writers featured to be eye-opening. Not to mention it addresses the concept of design as a whole. I don't think you have to work in a visual field to be able to appreciate and understand the way in which these fonts affect visual communication. We all communicate with words, don't we? 

...just as long as it's not Comic Sans.