The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979 book and double LP)
Contributed by Jay Mellor on Mar 5th, 2023. Artwork published in
October 1979
.
Topics▼ |
Formats▼ |
Typefaces▼ |
4 Comments on “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979 book and double LP)”
Wow, I’ve read/watched/listened to/played all the HHGG media, but I don’t think I’ve seen this before, except maybe the “DON’T PANIC” type, though I’m not sure where. Blows my mind that Hipgnosis would use Filmotype fonts on anything.
The 'G’ in 'Guide’ and 'Galaxy’ on the front of the book and rear of the LP would suggest that it’s Filmotype Monroe rather than Orlando.
Good call, Storm! Some of Filmotype’s faces came with alternates, but yes, I agree: in addition to the G bar, the serifs on the middle bar of E and at the top of A also suggest that it’s Monroe. So do the raised legs in K and R, and the U with the right terminal towering over the left one, when compared to the digital Orlando. I’ve adjusted the credit.
Monroe is lighter than Orlando, and much lighter than the letterforms in the use. But I guess the weight there was beefed up by adding a contour. This – increasing the weight – is also what Castcraft did when they digitized Monroe in the early 1990s.
Filmotype faces may have made for distinctive headings. The individual designs are not too distinctive, though: the library comprises numerous fonts with partly minute differences in weight, width, detailing, etc. Shown here is a detail from a Filmomaster catalog issued around 1974, with Monroe and Orlando.
On the occasion of the Guide’s 42nd anniversary in 2020, Pan Macmillan design manager Stuart Wilson put together a journey through the visual history of the series.