Shatner's Font

[Mr. Mugato]

In spite of the COUNTLESS times I have seen every TOS episode, tonight I noticed something I hadn't ever noticed before.

The Classic TOS font has a tendency for it's components to slant upwards to the right (if you know what I mean). For example the crossbar on the letter "H" is not horizontal, but slants upwards to the right.

However, the only time it does not, is in William Shatner's opening titles credit.*

The "H" in Shatner is perfectly horizontal, while every other time the font is used (closing credits in the 2nd and 3rd season etc.) it slopes up to the right.

I have no idea why, and I'm sure someone will pop in here and let me know that this is common knowledge and point me to 12 different websites on the topic, but for me, I was still surprised to see something "new" after all these years.

* Note that this has been "corrected" in the HD versions

 

[toonloon]

I've never noticed that. How interesting. I can't check it at the moment but I will have a look when I can.

 

[Michael]

Hm, very interesting. My guess is that there must be two slightly different versions of that font. There are other differences, too. Like the upper left corner of the E, which is rounded in SHATNER and LEONARD, but angular in the end credits. (Interestingly, it's angular in DEFOREST KELLEY, too.)

It's possible that whoever drew the letters just decided to alter them depending on the size they would be used for. That's not uncommon in typography.

 

[Mr. Mugato]

Just off the cuff, I would guess that they created the letters for the titles "Star Trek" and the credits for Shatner and Nimoy only.

The first season didn't use that font anywhere else.

Then later they did the full font set when they added DeForest Kelley's credit in the second season and changed the closing credits.

They probably just never bothered to go back and update Shatner and Nimoy.

Of course, that is complete speculation on my part.

 

[GSchnitzer]

Just off the cuff, I would guess that they created the letters for the titles "Star Trek" and the credits for Shatner and Nimoy only.

The first season didn't use that font anywhere else.

Then later they did the full font set when they added DeForest Kelley's credit in the second season and changed the closing credits.

They probably just never bothered to go back and update Shatner and Nimoy.

Of course, that is complete speculation on my part.

I don't think this is a Shatner thing; I think it's a letter "H" thing. Notice that all the other "horizontal" crossbars (the "S," the "E," the "A," and the "R") all have the diagonal crossbar.

 

[scotpens]

The complete Trekkie Sans font has a slanted crossbar on the H in both the straight and oblique versions.

 

[Mr. Mugato]

I don't think this is a Shatner thing; I think it's a letter "H" thing. Notice that all the other "horizontal" crossbars (the "S," the "E," the "A," and the "R") all have the diagonal crossbar.

Oh, I agree, It doesn't have anything to do with William Shatner, other than the fact that his name has in it the only H we see in the first season.

 

[scotpens]

Just off the cuff, I would guess that they created the letters for the titles "Star Trek" and the credits for Shatner and Nimoy only.

The first season didn't use that font anywhere else.

Then later they did the full font set when they added DeForest Kelley's credit in the second season and changed the closing credits.

That's almost certainly what happened. Something like the way the logotype for the short-lived Avant Garde magazine was later used as the basis for the entire Avant Garde family of typefaces.