A new ad campaign for the College for Creative Studies in Detroit lightheartedly gives its academic programs the D.A.R.E. treatment. Stay off the art, kids.

I’m not sure if/where these ads are running, but I’ve seen them kicking around online for a few days and I think they’re terrific. (Update: Copywriter Joel Wescott tells me they’re running in the local metro paper and stills at the local movie theater. There’s also a radio spot.) I’m not even sure I want to critique this, since it’s a hell of a lot better than anything I’ve done lately.

Overall, this is a pitch-perfect satire of anti-drug PSAs, down to the over-dramatic, obviously posed photos of gravely serious family situations. It’s also done in a way that elevates and glorifies art school. By laughing at anyone who considers art education unwise, impractical or even reckless, the ads remind us of what a reasonable choice it really is. Of the seven ads in the series, the only one that falls flat to me is “Your mother and I raised you to do better than this.” It doesn’t fit because the dad isn’t expressing displeasure that his kid is doing art—he seems to be mad that the art isn’t good enough. This doesn’t match the rest of the ads, and could have been fixed by applying the same copy to an image where the son has actually created something impressive. Other than off note, this is really nice work. Go to art school and make ads like this.

* * * *

Who created this campaign?

Advertising Agency: Team Detroit, Dearborn, Mich.
Chief Creative Officer: Toby Barlow
Creative Director: Gary Pascoe
Art Director: Vic Quattrin
Junior Art Directors: Michael Eugene Burdick, Brandi Keeler
Copywriter: Joel Wescott
Account executives: Tim Galvin and Ashley Budchuck

Who signed off on it?

I’m guessing CCS president Richard L. Rogers. Update, via comment below: And closer to the campaign, probably Marcus Popiolek, the college’s director of marketing and communication. Update 2, via Wescott: Also, Kate Lees and Megan Mesack at CCS.

Credits and images via Scaryideas.com and Tek1Now.

New Addition to the Linotype Collection Brings the Original Helvetica into the Digital Age

WOBURN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Monotype Imaging Holdings
Inc. (Nasdaq: TYPE), a leading global provider of text imaging
solutions, has introduced the 22-font Neue Haas Grotesk^™ typeface family — the original Helvetica^® design — into the company’s Linotype^® collection.

The release of Neue Haas Grotesk marks Monotype Imaging’s digital
debut of a typeface that was first designed for handset
composition using metal type in the late 1950s. Soon after, the
design began to undergo revisions yet went on to great success. It
eventually became arguably the world’s most famous typeface, used
widely in branding, advertising and signage — but under a
different name.

“Think of Neue Haas Grotesk as
the prequel to Helvetica,” said Allan Haley, director of words and
letters at Monotype Imaging. Aesthetic differences between the
original and today’s Helvetica can be traced to design
modifications that were made to comply with requirements for
machine-set typesetting, which replaced handsetting techniques.

“The story of Helvetica is somewhat like the story of Marilyn
Monroe,” Haley said. “Helvetica began with a different identity
and became the object of multiple interests. It has endured
cosmetic changes over the years yet has achieved and maintained
extreme popularity. Now, thanks to the beautiful work of Christian
Schwartz, the original design, under its original name, has been
reborn for a new generation of graphic communicators and type
lovers.”

“My goal was to restore and preserve the
original design intent as faithfully and authentically as
possible,” said Schwartz.

The original Neue Haas
Grotesk, which means “New Haas Sans Serif,” was designed in 1957
by Max Miedinger, under the direction of Eduard Hoffmann, of the
Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland. The firm’s parent
company, Germany-based Stempel, made the decision to rename the
typeface to improve its marketability outside of Switzerland. The
name, Helvetia, was suggested, which is the Latin name for
Switzerland. However, Helvetica was ultimately chosen to reflect the
design’s Swiss heritage, instead of the country itself.

With Miedinger’s design, type could be set by hand in sizes
ranging from five to 72 points. Each size required a different
font, and each incorporated subtle design differences in order to
achieve optimal reproduction of the typeface. However, as
machine-set typesetting overtook handsetting techniques, changes
were made to the design to simplify production — but at the
expense of aesthetic nuances. Further modifications continued, as
production methods evolved to phototypesetting and eventually to
digital technologies. The Neue Helvetica family, released in 1983,
introduced additional weights along with refinements for enhanced
legibility. Improved punctuation was also included, as well as
adjustments in cap-height and x-height to ensure uniformity across
the family. Neue Helvetica was further expanded in 2004 with an
OpenType^® Pro version, which included support for
additional languages. Over the years, however, the various revisions
did not address the design nuances of Miedinger’s original, now
recaptured in Schwartz’s revival.

Neue Haas
Grotesk consists of eight weights of display designs ranging from
thin to a black, in addition to three weights for setting text. All
designs have complementary italics. Neue Haas Grotesk is available as a
suite of OpenType Pro fonts that offer an extended character set
supporting most Central European and many Eastern European
languages.

Availability

Neue Haas Grotesk fonts can be viewed, purchased and downloaded from www.fonts.com, www.linotype.com and www.itcfonts.com. The fonts are also available for website design to commercial subscribers of Fonts.com Web Fonts.

Customers may contact Monotype Imaging in the U.S. toll-free at
800-424-8973, or in Europe at (+44 0)1737 765959, or 001781
970-6020, option 2. Linotype may be reached at +49 (0) 6172
484-418. Customers from other parts of the world may dial 001 781
970-6020 (U.S.).

About the Linotype typeface library

Established more than a century ago, Linotype is a Monotype
Imaging brand that represents exceptional quality typefaces for
brand managers, designers, publishers, IT administrators and
product developers. Influenced by its German and Swiss roots, the
Linotype collection is home to some of the most widely used and
celebrated typefaces in the world, including the renowned
Helvetica, Frutiger^® and Univers^® families.
Typefaces continue to be released on an ongoing basis into the
Linotype collection from some of the world’s most talented and
accomplished type designers.

About Monotype Imaging

Monotype Imaging combines technology with design to help the
world communicate. Based in Woburn, Mass. with offices in the
U.S., Europe and Asia, Monotype Imaging brings text imaging and
graphical user interface capabilities to consumer electronics
devices such as laser printers, copiers, mobile phones, navigation
devices, digital cameras, e-book readers, digital televisions,
set-top boxes and consumer appliances. The company also provides
printer drivers and color imaging solutions to
printer manufacturers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).
Monotype Imaging technologies are combined with access to more than
14,000 typefaces from the Monotype^®, Linotype and ITC^® typeface libraries — home to some of the world’s most widely used designs, including the Times New Roman^®, Helvetica and ITC Franklin Gothic^™
typefaces. Fonts are licensed to creative, business and Web
professionals through e-commerce portals, direct and indirect
sales and custom design services. Monotype Imaging offers
industry-standard font solutions that support all of the world’s major
languages. Information about Monotype Imaging can be found at www.monotypeimaging.com.

Monotype is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in
certain jurisdictions. Helvetica, Frutiger and Univers are
trademarks of Linotype Corp. registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions in
the name of Linotype Corp. or its licensee Linotype GmbH. Neue
Haas Grotesk is a trademark of Linotype Corp. and may be
registered in certain jurisdictions in the name of Linotype Corp.
or its licensee Linotype GmbH. Times New Roman is a trademark of
The Monotype Corp. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. ITC
is a trademark of International Typeface Corp. registered in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain
jurisdictions. ITC Franklin Gothic is a trademark of International
Typeface Corp. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Linotype
is a trademark of Linotype GmbH registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.
OpenType is either a registered trademark or trademark of
Microsoft Corp. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011
Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. All rights reserved.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6748733〈=en

Monotype Imaging Inc.
Vikki Quick, 781-970-6115
vikki.quick@monotypeimaging.com
or
Monotype Imaging Limited
Julie Strawson, +44 (0) 1737 781624
jl.strawson@monotypeimaging.co.uk
or
Linotype GmbH
Lorenz Schirmer, +49 (0) 6172 484-470
lschirmer@linotype.com

Source: Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc.

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Be still my inner 8-year-old boy turned designer heart. Physical Fiction letterpress studio is making prints using LEGOs!