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Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :

I'm doing some research on TOS-era computer displays (mainly by browsing Trek5..). There are a few interesting bits I want to share. And I have some questions.

First of all, does anyone know what sort of font comes closest to the lettering seen on TOS displays? Examples here and here.

I found another interesting screenshot here. It seems to show some sort of map?

And oh no! United Earth stuff!

(Trek5 seems to have some issues)

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

And here

Another uniform variant? [Smile]

It has the united earth logo on the uniform of Gary Mitchell. Actually is that the earth? It looks like the laurel leaves surrounding a circle that looks like it has an arm holding up a trident!?!

Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :

Off the top of my head, I'd guess something from the "Franklin Gothic" family, a pretty commonly used typeface in the 1960s

Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :

quote:
Originally posted by AndrewR:
And here

Another uniform variant? It has the united earth logo on the uniform of Gary Mitchell. Actually is that the earth? It looks like the laurel leaves surrounding a circle that looks like it has an arm holding up a trident!?!

It's a stylized arrow-head that's elongated which has two snakes wrapped around it terminating w/their heads at the top, as well as the aforementioned laurel's. I have an old fan-produced "U.S.S. Enterprise Officers Manual" which shows that and the one on the coffee cup above in quite nice detail. The arrow-head one is identified as medical and the Earth/laurel's one is identified for a technician. I'm not saying that the definition given for their existance are canon, just so's you know. Just what they are.

I supposed the reasoning of the two symbols could be that each ship has a distinct design? Sort of like how the different uniforms seemed to have a different "bad" on the chest from ship to ship to starbase?

Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :

I wrote to Geoff Mandel about the TOS fonts. He suspects Matt Jeffries used commerically available rub-on lettering of different fonts. His guesses are Futura and Alternate Gothic (which can be replicated by slightly condensing Franklin Gothic.) He also says the font Okuda uses for Enterprise is "Corporate Bold Condensed."