Helvetica Blu-ray Limited Edition

The Helvetica Blu-ray high-definition disc in a special limited-edition package conceived and designed by Dutch design team Experimental Jetset. The 12" gatefold record cover holds a 4-panel Blu-ray disc insert in one side and a fold-out poster (60cm x 60cm / 23.5" × 23.5") in the other. The whole package comes in a custom black cloth record bag.

Only 1,500 copies have been produced, and this edition will not be reprinted. Each copy is signed by director Gary Hustwit. Ship date: May 5th.

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Explains Experimental Jetest, in an email to Plexifilm: "Maybe it's good to explain where the actual idea of the gatefold sleeve came from. Basically, our starting point was the idea of the Blu-ray disc as yet another new format. We thought it would be interesting to underline this new format (Blu-ray), by referring to an old, almost obsolete format (the vinyl record). So basically, it's a game of formats. But it also refers to what Gary told us when we first met him, when he was explaining the sort of movie he had in mind: "a rock documentary about a typeface". So the idea of the packaging referring to a record sleeve makes sense, we think.

We started with the idea of using the alphabet, as it was shown on the 'Meet the Cast' poster. We then put this alphabet in a sort of 'disc': a form in which the alphabet is spiralling into itself. All the 'discs' that we used in the packaging are different: on each panel, the alphabet is spiralling another way, generating forms that are different each time.

A note from the director: "Helvetica was shot in high-definition digital video, but there were only a few events during last year's screening tour where we had access to (extremely expensive) HD projection gear. So only a handful of people have seen the film in its "native" crystal-clear HD format. This Blu-ray disc has twice the resolution as the normal DVD, so it's gratifying that you'll be able to see the film's cinematography presented the way it should be.

And when I got a copy of the limited-edition Blu-ray package from Experimental Jetset, I nearly peed myself. That's technical jargon for: I appreciated their wit and creativity. But I'm still not sure if I should put it in my record stacks, or hang it on the wall, or what."

- Gary Hustwit, New York