Typeset in the Future
typesetinthefuture.com · Personal blog · on HN since 2014
A site that identifies and analyzes the typefaces used in science fiction films, such as Blade Runner, Alien, and 2001.
What HN saysHN commenters recommend it as a fantastic blog with incredibly detailed font analysis of sci-fi movies, and note Eurostile's frequent appearances.
71HN people shared it
36linked it in comments
52stories submitted
3.1Kstory points
3 months agolast shared
2014people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1The Typography of Blade Runner (2016)21 people · 333 points · first shared 2016 · 114 comments on HN
- 2Typeset in the future- Fonts in sci-fi15 people · 6 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 3Typography of 2001: A Space Odyssey (2014)8 people · 196 points · first shared 2016 · 75 comments on HN
- 4Typography of “Alien” (2014)6 people · 812 points · first shared 2016 · 97 comments on HN
- 5Alien – My third post about typography in sci-fi4 people · 37 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 6The Typography of 2001: A Space Odyssey4 people · 29 points · first shared 2014 · 2 comments on HN
- 7The Typography of ‘Moon’4 people · 5 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
- 8Typography of Star Trek: The Motion Picture3 people · 128 points · first shared 2020 · 8 comments on HN
- 9Fontspots: Eurostile3 people · 2 points · first shared 2020 · discussion on HN
- 10The Typeset of Wall·E (2018)2 people · 843 points · first shared 2018 · 87 comments on HN
- 11How to make your text look futuristic (2016)2 people · 48 points · first shared 2018 · 6 comments on HN
- 12Typeset in the Future: The Book2 people · 2 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 13Typeset in the Future: The Book2 people · 2 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 14Moon1 people · 689 points · first shared 2014 · 90 comments on HN
- 15Fontspots: Eurostile1 people · 4 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
fanf2 · 2023-08-16
Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers
Typeset in the future https://typesetinthefuture.com/
The Rudiments of Wisdom by Tim Hunkin (cartoons not photographs)
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua (cartoons with epic footnotes and endnotes)
sudobash1 · 2023-05-05
I would also recommend checking out the "Typeset in the Future" website [1]. It does a bit of a deep dive on several films, trying to identify the fonts visible, not only on the title logos, but also on labels, in-universe logos, etc. My favorite is the 2001 Space Odyssey one [2]
1: https://typesetinthefuture.com/
2: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/01/31/2001-a-space-odyssey/
Extigy · 2022-06-15
Eurostile Bold Extended is my all time favourite font!
It is also the font of the FUTURE, so makes several appearances in posts from this wonderful blog: https://typesetinthefuture.com/
bbctol · 2016-07-26
If you like more in-depth analysis on how fonts are used in science fiction, https://typesetinthefuture.com/ is a fantastic blog that goes into incredible detail.
alexpotato · 2025-11-10
For those that love fonts, SciFi and funny bloggers, can't recommend the below blog post that analyzes the various fonts in the movies Aliens enough:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/12/01/alien/
There are couple other posts for other movies as well.
robotguy · 2025-08-07
Someone who finds that interesting might also like: https://typesetinthefuture.com/ Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies
ZoomZoomZoom · 2023-07-27
Yep, fonts are not great. Should have read the Typeset In The Future blog post on Blade Runner:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/
Andrew_nenakhov · 2023-05-25
Obligatory reference to a great website Typeset In The Future [0], with an analysis of fonts used in various movies:
"The five minutes to destruction are typographically uninteresting."
[0]: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/12/01/alien/
mrybczyn · 2023-01-28
Since you've mentioned FONTS and SCIFI, you must now read:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/
the blog, and the book!
quirino · 2021-12-13
If you like this, you might also appreciate Typeset In The Future (https://typesetinthefuture.com). The article on the typography of Wall-E is especially fascinating.
bmitc · 2020-12-27
Some other interesting resources about typography, user interfaces, and coding in movies:
Typeset in the Future (book and website): https://typesetinthefuture.com/
Behind the Screens (YouTube channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzOc0EEdwWAlnwrWV-7sDbg
rsync · 2020-07-06
A few tangentially related links ...
First, there are a few write-ups of the fictional UI(s) used in The Martian:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/30473933/The-Martian-UI-Screen-Graphic…
https://medium.com/territory-film/ui-stories-the-martian-efffa28e1a98
Second, I think this blog on sci-fi typography may be interesting to those reading this thread:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/
js2 · 2017-06-28
Ah, so this article looks at anachronistic use of typography in movies set in the past. In the other direction is:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/
rdtsc · 2016-06-26
The dissection of another classic -- Blade Runner on the same site:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/
htk · 2017-05-06
Take a look at:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/
kodablah · 2026-08-05
Also touched on at https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/ (and the book)
jameshart · 2026-05-12
I think the author is aware: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/11/29/fontspots-eurostile/
pavel_lishin · 2025-07-31
A much more interesting resource than a single tweet with barely any context is this page: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/12/01/alien/
java-man · 2025-03-03
Here is an example: a certain blogger, Dave Addey [0] published a book [1] which is basically a hardcopy of the blog.
After the EMP flash of 2075, the centient raccoons will enjoy reading the stories of the civilization long gone.
[0] https://typesetinthefuture.com/author/typesetinthefuture/
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Typeset-Future-Typography-Science-Fiction/dp/14…
bb88 · 2024-07-12
I still remember this golden article from that same site:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/01/31/2001-a-space-odyssey/
While he’s doing so, there’s a dramatic… COMPUTER MALFUNCTION …in the hibernation pods, which causes the life support machines of the hibernating science crew to start reporting… LIFE FUNCTIONS CRITICAL …and end up with their… LIFE FUNCTIONS TERMINATED …which isn’t what they wanted AT ALL. Still: if it is going to happen, it may as well happen in what is probably Univers 67 Bold Condensed.
Amorymeltzer · 2024-07-11
The book (<https://typesetinthefuture.com/2018/12/11/book/>) is a fun read, too! I think it was David Plotz who said "read more books with pictures." Interviews, gorgeous looking, and does a good job showing the whole world you can miss by just watching a movie once (or even twice) without really seeing everything. It gives a good sense, too, of how movies first create the standards for "future" and then proceed to subvert or reference those standards.
hanoz · 2021-10-13
The author has a series of these by the way, including a rather wonderful one on Moon: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/02/11/moon/
itronitron · 2020-12-23
At some point in the future Eurostile will have had a lasting influence on culture.
>> https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/11/29/fontspots-eurostile/
haddr · 2020-06-15
Somehow reminds me of the "Typeset in the future" serie of movie analyses from the perspective of typography used.
Highly enjoyable (if you like typography and sci-fi movies):
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/
KineticLensman · 2019-10-07
Also the 1979 orbital insertion graphics display [0] in Alien.
[0] https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/12/01/alien/
ctrager · 2018-12-11
All about the fonts in 2001: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/01/31/2001-a-space-odyssey/
drfuchs · 2018-12-06
His book, with extra goodies, will ship in a few days. https://typesetinthefuture.com/book/
jaclaz · 2018-01-02
In the movie, from a plain photography, the ESPER machine manages, somehow, to enter into a reflection, and then expand in the reflection, seeing things that are "not there" in the original image, in practice in the fiction the whole 3d space (even what is on the side of the door) is navigable and viewable:
http://thelegalgeeks.com/2017/06/28/admissibility-of-zhoras-photo-in-b…
What I mean can be better appreciated in this reconstruction:
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/
https://typesetinthefuture.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/bladerunner_esp…
https://vimeo.com/169392777
eudox · 2016-06-26
argaldo · 2016-06-26
For the lazy web: https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/