Five years ago I began work on my first documentary, Helvetica, which looked at the worlds of typography and graphic design, and their impact on our visual environment. After Helvetica was released in 2007, I had the idea for a second film, Objectified, which focused on industrial design and product design, and our relationship with the manufactured objects that surround us. While working on Objectified, I realized I wanted to make a third film that would also examine how design affects our lives, and began thinking of the films as a “design trilogy” of sorts.

The third documentary in this trilogy is about the design of cities. Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, featuring some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.

Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, Urbanized will frame a global discussion on the future of cities.

Urbanized is currently in production and will premiere in 2011. We’ll be releasing more details about the cities, projects, and people featured in the film in the next few months, along with a proper site. Once again I’ve teamed up with cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler, and I hope you’ll follow along as we complete the film and finish this third exploration into the role of design in our lives.

For the time being, my Twitter feed is probably the best way to keep up with news during this process, since I don’t post to this Helvetica blog anymore. Comments, questions, suggestions? info[at]urbanizedfilm[dot]com

Cheers!
-Gary

This Saturday in New York City, the Philoctetes Center for the Multidisciplinary Study of Imagination (whew) presents Helvetica: Typography and Literacy: a free screening of Helvetica and all-star roundtable discussion. The film will screen at 1pm, followed by a roundtable at 2:30pm with myself, lettering artist Christopher Calderhead, New York Times Magazine Art Director Arem Duplessis, calligrapher Elinor Aishah Holland, and artist Elaine Lustig Cohen, moderated by SVA design god and man-of-a-thousand-design-books Steven Heller.

Four big reasons to go:
1) It’s free (first come, first seated)
2) This roundtable is going to be crazy
3) It might be the only public Helvetica screening I’ll be participating in this year
4) The Philoctetes Center got burned in the Madoff scandal, lost their funding, and could really use your support

Helvetica: Typography and Literacy
Saturday, January 10, 1pm
247 E. 82nd Street, NYC

Don’t get drunk while you’re watching Helvetica… or you might wake up the next morning with one of these:

I think I owe this guy a free DVD. Full story here…

As part of the build-up to Helvetica’s US television debut, PBS has launched a fairly extensive mini-site with loads of info, clips, and other treats. Helvetica will be broadcast nationwide on Tuesday, January 6th, but check your local PBS station for exact date and time in your area.

Play the What Font Are You? game… I did, and apparently, I’m Times New Roman!

-Gary

In advance of the US television premiere of Helvetica on January 6th, ITVS and PBS have organized free screenings of the film in dozens of cities across the country as part of their Community Cinema program. See the film free in your city this month:

December 3
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland CA, USA
James Moore Theatre, 6pm, free.

December 4
Missouri History Museum, St. Louis MI, USA
7:00pm, free.

December 4
The Rotunda, Philadelphia PA, USA
6:30pm, free.

December 4
Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka CA, USA
6pm, free.

December 4
Busboys and Poets, Washington DC, USA
6:30pm, free.

December 6
Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Springs NY, USA
3:00pm, free.

December 6
SIFF Cinema, Seattle WA, USA
Nelsholm Family Lecture Hall on the lower level of McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. 5:00pm, free.

December 7
Statesboro Regional Library, Statesboro GA, USA
4:00pm, free.

December 9
ISU Pond Student Union, Pocatello ID, USA
Bengal Theater, 5:15pm, free.

December 9
San Francisco Main Public Library, San Francisco CA, USA
Koret Auditorium, 6pm, free.

December 10
San Diego Public Library, San Diego CA, USA
Third Floor Auditorium, 6:30pm, free.

December 10
Starz FilmCenter, Denver CO, USA
7:00pm, free.

December 10
Florida International University, Miami FL, USA
8:00pm, free.

December 10
University of Evansville, Evansville IN, USA
Ridgway University Center, Eykamp Hall 251A. 7:00pm, free.

December 13
Boston Public Library, Boston MA, USA
Rabb Lecture Hall, 2:00pm, free.

December 16
The Aero Theatre, Santa Monica CA, USA
7:30pm, free.

December 17
Nashville Public Library, Nashville TN, USA
6:00pm, free.

December 18
College for Creative Studies, Detroit MI, USA
Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium, 7:00pm, free.

December 19
Guerrilla Griots Media Arts Center, Ithica NY, USA
Henry St. John Building - Suite 103, 7:00pm, free.

December 20
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago IL, USA
2:00pm, free.

Ahhhh… technology. The geniuses at Plexifilm have spent the past two years developing a Sharpie pen that actually writes in Helvetica! This pen is so experimental that it’s priceless… literally. You can’t buy one, but you can get one free with any Helvetica-related purchase (DVD, T-shirt, etc.). Get your free pen while they last. It’s a great gift for that person in your life with sloppy handwriting…

* Warning: if you are John Downer or Marian Bantjes then the pen will actually write in Helvetica. Otherwise your results may vary. Do not swallow. Keep away from open flame and co-workers. May cause drowsiness.

The US television premiere of Helvetica on PBS’s Independent Lens has been moved up from January 13 to January 6. That’s the national date, check your local PBS station for exact date/time in your area. Apparently PBS is now doing a “quick strike” documentary about the financial crisis on the 13th. Actually, I’m surprised no one has blamed the financial crisis on Helvetica yet! All those greedy financial institutions, with their Helvetica logos…

This is awesome… but I wonder what it says?

Lots going on in Tokyo this week: there’s a Helvetica exhibit at the Laforet Museum in Harajuku, sponsored by Grand Petit Publishing and Asmik Ace Entertainment, with screenings of the film, workshops, and more. Asmik Ace is also releasing the Japanese DVD edition of Helvetica this Friday.

Kanpai!