It is well-known that the general public literally could not care less about typography. If you asked the average Joe or Jane on the street what Helvetica was, they would most likely know it was a font. On the other hand, if you asked them what Frutiger, Futura, Bodoni or Clarendon was, they most likely would not have clue. To say that Helvetica is a mainstream font is an understatement to say the least. Mainstream or not, Helvetica is an amazingly well-crafted font with one of the most abundant collections of weights. Its sterile, machinist design works well with traditional Swiss design and can aid in giving a cleaner typographical look. That being said, Helvetica is not your only choice for a machinist san serif font.