Ren Buenviaje

In the July issue of Bon Appetit magazine, Visa has a two-page ad featuring the word “go” in Helvetica made entirely of sushi.

I admit, I was initially unclear (and possibly still am) on the intended effect of this ad. The copy in the ad reads, “Have you ever overdosed on wasabi?” followed by some blurb encouraging me to use my debit card. Was I supposed to whip out my dedit card and buy an entire paycheck’s worth of sushi, eating wasabi until I blister the insides of my nostrils? But the visual design… absolutely brilliant.

For those who are unfamiliar with or are new to the world of typography, Helvetica is a very popular typeface. It is simple, clean, and modern, which, unfortunately, also makes it overrated, overused, and bland. I mean, it’s just freaking everywhere, and it’s usually set in black or white. What is brilliant about the Visa ad is that the designer does something with it. The flow of the colors from one part of the type to the next, the respectfully precise positioning of each piece of sushi (especially the hand rolls in the bowl of the “g”—unmistakably Helvetica), and the organic imperfections created by the slight gaps between each piece all lend personality to a typeface that isn’t supposed to have any. And any designer that can pull that off totally rocks in my book.

Too bad my debit card is a MasterCard.

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