It appears that design instructors will have options beyond the film Helvetica to share with their students (not that we don’t appreciate the documentary dedicated to the world’s most famous typeface). With the release of the documentary The Visual Language of Herbert Matter earlier this year,and now the up-and-coming movie Linotype: The Film, it appears that the history of the graphic design industry is getting some reasonable coverage in the form of documentary film making. Yes… this is a design nerd alert!

“Linotype: The Film is a feature-length documentary film centered around the Linotype typecasting machine invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1886. Called the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ by Thomas Edison, the Linotype revolutionized printing and society, but very few people know about the inventor or his fascinating machine.

The Linotype completely transformed the communication of information similarly to how the internet is now changing communication again. Although these machines were revolutionary, technology began to supersede the Linotype and they were scrapped and melted-down by the thousands. Today, very few machines are still in existence.”

With a healthy obsession with magazines and publication design, I have an appreciation for the undeniable skills and patience needed for linotype operators to tackle typesetting, so I’m thinking this film will be worth my time.

The film is scheduled to be released later this year, but for now you can watch the trailer below:

“Linotype: The Film” Official Trailer from Linotype: The Film on Vimeo.

Questions/comments? Email the editor, Mani O’Brien at mo’brien@fidm.edu

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