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Author
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Topic: Apollo lunar module panels, which font?
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RandyH
Member Posts: 16
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 09-10-2004 02:33 AM
  
I have a pretty obscure question: What font, or typeface, was used on the Apollo lunar module control/instrument panels? Bonus question: are the LM and CSM panel lettering different?I'm doing an art project and I want to get it as correct as I can. Doing a mockup on my computer, I am looking at the various typefaces, comparing them to what reference I can find online. Helvetica and Futura Bold look very close, but not quite right. |
desirina
Member Posts: 53
From: knoxville, tn USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 09-10-2004 10:18 AM
Hmm, have you tried Univers? I know it is similar to Helvetica and Futura. Just a thought. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-10-2004 09:32 PM
Randy, if helpful I have a LM control panel and would be happy to take some high resolution imagery of the lettering to allow you to overlay against known font templates. Just let me know. The panel is viewable on my website. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-10-2004 09:43 PM
Combined with Scott's offer, you should be able to use WhatTheFont to determine which it is. From the WhatTheFont website: Ever wanted to have a font just like the one used by certain publications, corporations, or ad campaigns? Well now you can, using the WhatTheFont font recognition system. Upload a scanned image of the font and we'll show you the closest matches in our database! Obviously, your needs are a bit different than what the programmers of this site had in mind, but it's worth a try. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-10-2004 09:52 PM
Replying to my own suggestion, I copied an image from Scott's website, cropped a single word and tried WhatTheFont. It worked, but it didn't. I think the small size of the letters I was able to provide as an example limited its effectiveness. From the small scan, it suggested "Dax" as the font — but its letters have variable width "arms" and that's not true with the LM panel font. I would still suggest trying with a larger scan of Scott's panel. |
desirina
Member Posts: 53
From: knoxville, tn USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 09-10-2004 10:33 PM
Just looked at the image on the website. Definitely not Univers. The "M" does resemble the Futura "M" but I know it is not Futura (because of the "N"). I am still looking to find the font — it is now a challenge for me. Wish I could be more help... |
RandyH
Member Posts: 16
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 09-11-2004 07:31 AM
It is wonderful to get so much help so quickly! Yes Scott, I would love to get a close-up shot of your LM panel. As close and flat-on as you can manage, that would be great.The best close-up of it I have found is in the Apollo 11 episode of "From the Earth to the Moon" and it's good reference, but I think it is of a Guard-Lee replica. It is probably correct, I just want to be sure. I expect that it is Futura, which has been around for a long time, just an earlier version than what is on our computers today. |
Ponyhorton
New Member Posts: 9
From: California
Registered: Sep 2018
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posted 11-11-2018 01:43 PM
From what I can find in my research, plus direct matching of fonts from the diagram of the CM panels. it's Helvetica.The next closest was Gill Sans, but the "M's" don't match. But in doing an overlay in Photoshop against the diagram, Helvetica comes the closest. |
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