Typography 1 - PC - February 11th

Analyze

The lettering above is display. All the letters are caps but the first “A” and the “N” are bigger than other letters. There is serif. All the brackets are very curved. Some counters are plain like the “R” and the upper counter of the “B”. We can see through some counters like the down counter on the “B”. There are double crossbar on the first “A” and the last “N”. The two letters are bigger caps and have ascenders and descenders. The descenders are also swashes. The “R” and the first “A” are linked.

Classify

Display/Logotype

Serif

Gothic

Define

The overall look is close to an Art Nouveau style font. The pink stroke which surrounding all the letters allows a good legibility for all sizes. You can feel the spirit of the 1001 nights tale in this font thanks to the gradient located inside each letter.

Comment

We are in 1983. ARABIAN is a vertical platform game where you control a small Persian character. You must collect all the letters from the word ARABIAN avoiding all the monsters of the stage, in order to go the next stage. In this case, the logotype style is more related to a background than a character. I think it’s a really sophisticated font comparing to the fonts of this period. Indeed, this period is oriented to the futuristic objects so most of the fonts are very sharped and squared.

Analyze

It’s a display font. All the letters are caps. There are no descenders or ascenders. The counters are very sharp. The kerning between all the letters is really closed and it gives the feeling that they are all linked.

Classify

Display/Logotype

Sans Serif

Define

Despite the small kerning between each letter, it allows a good legibility for small and large sizes. The common point between each letter is the missing triangle part. This common point allows a positive rhythm. The blue gradient color located in each letter, reinforces the feeling of space.

Comment

The release date is 1985. In this case, we are still in the futuristic spirit started in the early 80’s. The game consists in a horizontal shooter viewed from behind. We control a man equipped with a big space gun who is able to jump or fly in order to shoot space monsters. This concept can explain Space Harrier because a harrier is an eagle which hunts.

Analyze

The lettering is a logotype. There are all caps but the “T” is bigger than the other letters. There is 1 ascender on the “T” and the right crossbar is covering the “H” and the “H”. There is serif. All the counters are plain except for the “A”. Some letters are linked with each other by the upper or down serifs.

Classify

Display/Logotype

Slab serif

Define

The legibility is good for small and large sizes. There is an impression of 3D thanks to the black shadow behind each letter. The upper serif of the “C” looks like a military helmet, which reinforces the vindictive aspect of the font. The color inside each letter is actually transparent for the sky background.

Comment

We are 1987. Thundercade is a vertical scrolling shooter with a motorcycle. The name Thundercade seems to be a contraction between thunder and arcade. The crossbars of the “T” recall the handlebars of a bike. The 3D style is a little too much because it disturbs the legibility of the script. This reminds all this TV series of the middle 80’s where the hero was a car (Knight Rider), a chopper (Airwolf) or a motorcycle (Street Hawk).