June 1957. Graphic 57 trade fair, Lausanne, Switzerland. All along the Montreux Riviera the linden trees are in bloom, their bright, lemony fragrance thick in the air like the sweetest perfume – until evening, when the gentle southerly winds, fresh off of Lake Geneva, wash the city clean. Over the course of the two-week event, nearly a quarter of a million visitors walk through the exhibit hall, taking in the work of type foundries and graphic designers and commercial artists and printers. Some look for inspiration, some for trends. What they get instead is a front-row seat to history. For [...]

Hey designers! Who’s ready to score some sweet, sweet cash? If you’re an incoming second-year graphic design student at Spokane Falls Community College – which of course you are, because we don’t send these emails to just anyone – then you’re already eligible for the Helveticahaus design scholarship! All that’s left to do is head on over to the official scholarship application page. What’s in it for you, you ask? Only $1,000 toward next year’s tuition, that’s all. Let’s do the math: Assuming you work 20 hours a week at a minimum-wage job, you’re taking home less than $200 a [...]

You’ve waited. Put it off to the last possible minute. Procrastinated so hard that you’re almost to the point of having to finish your Christmas shopping at 7-11. Hope your nephew likes Maple Pancake Sausage Rollers. We’re not here to judge. We’re here to help. No matter who’s on your list this year, we have the perfect gift at the perfect price – like our brand-new canvas cross-body tote, the season’s must-have accessory for your hot yoga class. And did you know that every penny of your purchase goes to fund scholarships for local design students? With Helveticahaus, you’re not [...]

It’s official: We can talk about the holidays now. And whichever one you and yours are planning to celebrate, we’ve got you covered. No, seriously. Got a Buddhist cousin celebrating Bodhi Day on December 8? Be sure to quote the Karaniya Metta Sutta – “radiate boundless love toward the entire world” – when you send her this. Worried about the Hanukkah candles making a mess? Protect your furniture with a set of these. Not exactly looking forward to the “airing of grievances” this coming Festivus? Wearing one of these babies will shut your cranky uncle down. And keep in mind [...]

If you’ve ever come to the Helveticahaus online shop and just couldn’t make up your mind…well, we’re afraid we have some bad news for you. The selection just got bigger. Five brand-new T-shirt designs have just been added to our inventory.  Which means that, with twelve originals, one student design, and three in our artist series, we’re now offering twenty-one unique, Helvetica-inspired graphic Tts! (We thought about adding more, but 21 is a Fibonacci number,* and our proprietors are very particular about maintaining some semblance of order and control in this chaotic world of ours. Even if it’s only temporary.) [...]

Just in time for the holidays, we teamed up with Spokane cartoonist, chess champion, and all-around nice guy David Rowles on a series of four exquisitely produced notecards, each of which features a unique Helvetica-inspired cartoon. They’re fun, they’re witty, they’re perfect for every occasion – and for every person you know. Like that impossible-to-please typophile who thinks the world would be a much better place if street signs were more appropriately kerned. Or that guy in accounting who thinks “sans serif” is a font. Heck – even your mom, who still has no idea what you do for a [...]

First, there was Artist Series no. 1: Don Baker’s whimsical take on communication as multigenerational nourishment. Then it was Greg Holly’s inspired homage to Alexander Rodchenko and Herbert Matter in Artist Series no. 2. You’ve probably been wondering how we could possibly keep this thing going. We’re pleased to put those fears to rest with Artist Series no. 3: Irreducible simplicity as expressed by graphic designer, cartoonist, comic book illustrator, and creative director Sherwin Schwartzrock. His take on our favorite font is like nothing we’ve ever done – and it’s available right now in the Helveticahaus store. Wait…why are you [...]

And the recipient of the first annual – not to mention highly coveted – Helveticahaus scholarship goes to… Isabel Heisler! Isabel, who hails from Londrina, Brazil, found herself in Spokane almost by accident. Not happy with the quality of education she was getting studying journalism back home, she Googled “communications schools,” which sent her to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. But the Chicago campus was full, so she ended up at the Spokane campus. An opportunity to design wedding invitations for some friends made her realize she had a knack for design, which naturally led her to SFCC – alma [...]

Guten tag! Are you an incoming second-year graphic design student at Spokane Falls Community College? (Of course you are – that’s why you’re receiving this email.) We know it’s summer, and the farthest thing from your mind is the prospect of another year of study before you start earning the big bucks, but there’s something you ought to know: We’re now accepting applications for the first-ever Helveticahaus design scholarship. If you wouldn't mind $1,000 going toward your tuition – and would rather get it on account of your awesomeness rather than a part-time job at Billy Bob’s Budget Sushi Shack [...]

Here at Helveticahaus, we treat our coffee pretty seriously. So when we set out to create our very own Haus Blend, we sought advice and opinions from some of the finest coffee minds around. We tested and tasted; reflected and refined; persisted and perfected. And then we poured Special Agent Dale Cooper a cup. That’s when we knew we were on to something. Lovingly prepared by our good friends at DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, Haus Blend brews up strong and smooth and goes down easy like Sunday morning. Where else can you combine your love for all things Swiss with [...]