Microgramma (typeface)
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- For the plant genus, see Microgramma (plant)
| Typeface | Microgramma |
|---|---|
| Category | Sans-serif |
| Designer(s) | Aldo Novarese Alessandro Butti |
| Foundry | Linotype |
| Variations | Eurostile |
Microgramma (similar to Eurostile, which includes lower case) is a sans serif font which was designed by Aldo Novarese and Alessandro Butti in 1952. It became popular for use with technical illustrations in the 1960s. Early typesetters (like the AM Varityper) incorporated it.
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[edit] Microgramma in popular culture
Because of its bold, masculine strokes and sharp square angles, Microgramma was soon appropriated for use in science fiction and fantasy stories depicting advanced technology and space exploration.
[edit] Star Trek
The Microgramma Bold Extended typeface was used extensively in the Star Trek universe, such as Franz Joseph's The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual,[1] although many in the typesetting community felt it looked dated by the 1970s. The font, in both its original and various altered forms, was incorporated into numerous displays and on ship exteriors in six of the Star Trek motion pictures, as well as the four later television series.
[edit] Other sources
Microgramma was also used extensively in the 1968 motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 1971 film version of The Andromeda Strain, and the Gerry Anderson TV series Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999.
The typeface remains in common use today, in television (e.g. the CBS reality show The Amazing Race and the call letters in logos for MyNetworkTV affiliates) and films (e.g. Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles).
Many car manufacturers, notably Honda, use Microgramma on the interior gauges and switches of their vehicles.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Joseph, Franz [1975] (1986). The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-34074-4.
