Control Panel UI: Typefaces (Fonts)

[DSG2k]

I didn't see a specific thread for this in search, though I imagine there probably has to have been one. I found assorted sporadic references regarding specific objects here and there, but that's it.

As a side quest to my overall control panel kick, I've been on a typeface kick. I've always had an interest and an unreasonably large font collection, including Trek fonts, but recently we were having the discussion regarding the Starbase 11 wall chart insofar as fonts with certain hard to distinguish characters.
2. I've enjoyed the fonts and tweets from US Graphics Company (who harps on 1), and I went to the trouble to build my own customized Iosevka for monospace work.
3. I've noticed Futura in some inappropriate places on the Roddenberry.x.io TOS bridges and its correct presence on the NX Class, so I wanted to dive into TOS fonts further.
4. I've read the amazing article "The Hardest Working Font in Manhattan", thereby rediscovering the font of my childhood, commonly known as Gorton, customizing a wonderful modern replica version for my own use.

So, here we are.

I am no expert on Trek fonts or typefaces in general, though I have read (and promptly forgotten) more than most. Joe Ralat and I on Twitter/X have been checking out some different bits.

Here are a few examples:

Phenolic signage in TOS used Gorton . . . also (not pictured) the Phaser Two control knob on the back.

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The chronometer from "The Naked Time" used Gorton labels and Futura / Century Gothic digits (though the prop as auctioned appeared to have Futura / Century Gothic labeling)

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Gorton and Franklin Gothic ExtraCondensed show up on the bridge . . . another font appears for the self-destruct sequence from "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".

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Here's Gorton on the Ares IV as seen in Voyager:

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TMP-era stuff, starting with oddballs like the Star Trek II appearance of a GE-635 mainframe sporting Trade Gothic Extended:

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The Regula One funky transporter console apparently with Helvetica:
https://x.com/STvSW/status/1949652766143524919

Before I start posting more reconstruction efforts, however, I wanted to inquire whether there was already a single resource for such things. It seems to me there is not, based on my googling.

 

[Anthony Scott]

Fascinating..

 

[DEWLine]

I'd argue there are resources...just not a single stop, though:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture named a space shuttle, created a custom font pack, and relaunched the swashbuckling futurism of the greatest of all space franchises: Star Trek.

typesetinthefuture.com

Starfleet Design 🖍🖖 (@starfleetdesign.bsky.social)

#StarTrek Fonts: The Thread This thread is going to cover the official typefaces used for on-screen titles and marketing materials etc. Not in-universe graphics, alien scripts or any of that. Feedback and corrections welcome! Please check ALT text for additional context. 🧵 [001/???]

bsky.app

 

[B.J.]

Fonts are fascinating to me. I don't have anything to add at the moment, but are you posting this anywhere other than twitter? Without an account, I can't see any of the threads/replies, only direct links to single posts.

 

[David cgc]

When I was doing versions of the Starfleet Corps of Rhetoric Engineers emblem, I was looking for the fonts used for the various version of the Starfleet seal. I burned out on finding the PIC-era version (Eurostyle Candy), and gave up on finding exact matches for the other variants cataloged by EAS.

 

[DSG2k]

I'd argue there are resources...just not a single stop, though:

Those both do an admirable job, but what I tend to find is that everyone is usually focused on vehicle livery or title fonts. That is all well and good, but that's not what people would have been staring at all the time in-universe.

 

[DSG2k]

Fonts are fascinating to me. I don't have anything to add at the moment, but are you posting this anywhere other than twitter? Without an account, I can't see any of the threads/replies, only direct links to single posts.

I am working up to a blog post and will link if I do one.

 

[DSG2k]

Haven't made it to the bridge yet, but here's a 'normal' Starfleet TMP-era console with yellow text overlay.

Helvetica is fairly easily identifiable for its profound blandness, though a handful of features like the curvy little right leg of the R make it unique enough. That said, TMP consoles often have somewhat inconsistent backlighting (similar to "RESP" here) which somehow makes Helvetica look super-interesting somehow, at least to me. I don't know if that effect is unique to Helvetica or what.

 

[Anthony Scott]

I have a lot of Star Trek related fonts stored on external drive and this thread is very handy to get the type sets right in my own art work.

 

[David cgc]

That said, TMP consoles often have somewhat inconsistent backlighting (similar to "RESP" here) which somehow makes Helvetica look super-interesting somehow, at least to me. I don't know if that effect is unique to Helvetica or what.

I don't think so. There was a point in Donny's TNG thread where it came up how bland Okudagrams look with a flat glow, and the soft gradients from being backlit by a couple of bulbs or tubes instead of perfectly evenly like a real computer screen made them look a lot more attractive. I wonder if any IRL interface designers ever incorporated that into their designs, especially considering the era of flatness for the past twelve years (that seems to finally be coming to a close). I guess the increasing amounts of translucency come close, letting the device's wallpaper background provide the variation in the otherwise-solid interface elements.

 

[DSG2k]

There was a point in Donny's TNG thread where it came up how bland Okudagrams look with a flat glow, and the soft gradients from being backlit by a couple of bulbs or tubes instead of perfectly evenly like a real computer screen made them look a lot more attractive. I wonder if any IRL interface designers ever incorporated that into their designs, especially considering the era of flatness for the past twelve years (that seems to finally be coming to a close). I guess the increasing amounts of translucency come close, letting the device's wallpaper background provide the variation in the otherwise-solid interface elements.

All of this, yes, though I wonder whether even backlighting is more purely functional. Some of the uneven backlight effect could be replicated adequately if you imagine the similar effect of a polarized layer, not dissimilar to what one might have on a computer with a privacy screen overlay. I remember those mounted on CRTs back in the day, and there are laptops that have an electronically controlled integrated version. Such polarization (or a backlight standoff distance underneath the button/screen) could give a sense of distance or angle to a button, which I suppose could be useful in certain contexts to help subconsciously zero in on your target button. However, I would think it could make certain displays less easily readable.

(Many of my control panel images of the TMP-era bridges have labeling that can get lost fairly easily, which can affect my camera choices at times when I'm screencapping shots at Roddenberry.x.io. I don't know if that is a proper rendition of the actual sets in that case, or if it is just an artifact of the recreation.)