--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing…" description: "\"Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces.\" — Wolfgang Weingart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg" --- # Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces. ![“Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces.” quote by Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg) > “Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces.” [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a typeface requires deep knowledge; superficial use shows ignorance. **In simple terms:** Knowing fonts shows expertise. Key Takeaway Study typefaces deeply. Themes design typography expertise Mood analytical curious Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - branding - graphic design - publishing - education Key Concepts font history visual communication design theory Questions to Reflect On - Why is it important to learn type history? - How does font choice affect message perception? A Different Perspective Design trends can oversimplify complex typographic history. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Helvetica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helvetica/) [Typography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typography/) ## Related quotes > [Berthold is still a good typeface, but even Berthold has some less than attractive features, and then I just cut them off because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/berthold-is-still-a-good-typeface-but-even-berthold-has-some-less/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) > [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [Type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-poynor/type-is-saying-things-to-us-all-the-time-typefaces-express-a-mood-an/) Rick Poynor > [I guess if there was a desert island scenario and I only could take one font with me, I guess it would be Helvetica,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khoi-vinh/i-guess-if-there-was-a-desert-island-scenario-and-i-only-could-take/) [Khoi Vinh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khoi-vinh/) > [Helvetica was a real step from the 19th century typeface... We were impressed by that because it was more neutral, and neutralism was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-crouwel/helvetica-was-a-real-step-from-the-19th-century-typeface-we-were/) [Wim Crouwel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-crouwel/) > [The meaning is in the content of the text and not in the typeface, and that is why we loved Helvetica very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-crouwel/the-meaning-is-in-the-content-of-the-text-and-not-in-the-typeface-and/) [Wim Crouwel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-crouwel/) > [I remember a time at Yale when my work was being critiqued by Paul Rand. Mr. Rand told me only to use Helvetica as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-cooper/i-remember-a-time-at-yale-when-my-work-was-being-critiqued-by-paul/) Kyle Cooper > [I discovered that I never really used Helvetica but I like to look at it. I like the VW beetle, too, although I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-sagmeister/i-discovered-that-i-never-really-used-helvetica-but-i-like-to-look-at/) [Stefan Sagmeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-sagmeister/) > [Typographical design should perform optically what the speaker creates through voice and gesture of his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-lissitzky/typographical-design-should-perform-optically-what-the-speaker/) [El Lissitzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-lissitzky/) > [You can do a good ad without good typography, but you can't do a great ad without good typography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-lubalin/you-can-do-a-good-ad-without-good-typography-but-you-can-t-do-a-great/) Herb Lubalin > [By the year 2000 every secretary will have a favorite typeface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-black/by-the-year-2000-every-secretary-will-have-a-favorite-typeface/) Roger Black > [Type design moves at the pace of the most conservative reader. The good type-designer therefore realizes that, for a new font to be successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-morison/type-design-moves-at-the-pace-of-the-most-conservative-reader-the/) Stanley Morison > [ When I put my pen to a blank sheet, black isn’t added but rather the white sheet is deprived of light. \[\] Thus I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/when-i-put-my-pen-to-a-blank-sheet-black-isn-t-added-but-rather-the/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-i-had-never-dropped-in-on-that-single-course-in-college-the-mac-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“One of my colleagues is convinced that having a wide range of types to choose from is a complete waste of time. He swears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-my-colleagues-is-convinced-that-having-a-wide-range-of-types/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Wolfgang Weingart > [Berthold is still a good typeface, but even Berthold has some less than attractive features, and then I just cut them off because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/berthold-is-still-a-good-typeface-but-even-berthold-has-some-less/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) > [The simpler the assignment, the more difficult the solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/the-simpler-the-assignment-the-more-difficult-the-solution/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) > [What's the use of being legible, when nothing inspires you to take notice of it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/what-s-the-use-of-being-legible-when-nothing-inspires-you-to-take/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) > [For me, typography is a triangular relationship between design idea, typographic elements, and printing technique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/for-me-typography-is-a-triangular-relationship-between-design-idea/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) > [Electronic equipment replaces neither Eyes, Hands, nor Heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/electronic-equipment-replaces-neither-eyes-hands-nor-heart/) [Wolfgang Weingart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) [Explore all 6 Wolfgang Weingart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/) ## More Design quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) Giambattista Bodoni > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) Fang Chen > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wolfgang Weingart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing-about-typefaces/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing-about-typefaces/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/wolfgang-weingart-53369_design_anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing_1151546.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing about typefaces.” — Wolfgang Weingart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wolfgang Weingart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-weingart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Anyone who uses Helvetica knows nothing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing-about-typefaces/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-weingart/anyone-who-uses-helvetica-knows-nothing-about-typefaces/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```