Little Black Dress in 3 parts

Becky Bliss

12 October – 2 November 2026

Part 1. The Font

Calling Helvetica the “little black dress” (LBD) of typography is one of the most common and affectionate analogies in graphic design.

Just like a little black dress in fashion, Helvetica is the ultimate chameleon. It is appropriate for almost any occasion. It can be “dressed up” or “dressed down”.

LBD is minimalist so that the person wearing it takes centre stage rather than the garment itself. Its a neutral backdrop that efficiently delivers a message without imposing its own “personality” or historical baggage.

The phrase perfectly encapsulates why the typeface remains universally dominant since 1957 when it was created by Swiss designer Max Miedinger at the Haas Foundry. It represents an enduring standard of minimalist, functional elegance.

Part 2. The Colours

The global Pantone Matching System (PMS) series of colors was officially conceived and introduced in 1963 by Lawrence Herbert as a fan deck of formulas to ensure a colour could be produced exactly by any printer anywhere in the world.

Part 3. The Size

The ‘A’ system of paper sizes, although proposed in the 18th century, was formalised in 1975 which allowed scaling between sizes without distortion.

This installation brings all three parts together, all 3 having been an important part of my working life for over 50 years.