Fonts in Popular Culture Identified Vol. 1

Welcome to the first installment of a new series on Typewolf, where I’ll be identifying the fonts used in popular things. The focus here is on anything you might encounter in contemporary visual culture—movie posters, TV shows, book covers, etc.

Fonts identified collage

Tiger King font

What font does the Tiger King TV show use?

The Netflix series Tiger King uses the font MPI No. 507 for the cover poster art. Although MPI No. 507 was designed in 2013, the typeface is based off wood type from the late nineteenth century. There is a subtle grunge texture overlayed on top of the type, which gives it a worn, vintage feel. The condensed sans-serif used for the titles within the show itself is Press Gothic, a revival of Aldo Novarese’s Metropol typeface from 1967.


Stranger Things font

What font does Stranger Things use?

The hit Netflix show Stranger Things uses ITC Benguiat as the main branding font. It’s shown in the poster above in the red outline and in the white text at the top. The opening credits use the geometric sans-serif ITC Avant Garde Gothic. The iconic design recalls classic Stephen King book covers and 1980s horror movies.


Fjallraven font

What font does Fjällräven use?

Swedish outdoor clothing maker Fjällräven uses a bespoke font called Arctic Fox for all of their branding. Arctic Fox is a rounded, bubbly sans-serif created by Letters from Sweden. The design is based off Frankfurter, a typeface from 1970 that was used in the original Fjällräven logo.


Parasite movie poster font

What font does the movie Parasite use?

The poster for the 2019 South Korean film Parasite uses a customized version of Gotham with added serifs. It’s a very ’90s look that recalls the serif/sans hybrids of the grunge era such as Dead History. The rest of the poster uses the standard version of Gotham set in uppercase.


Life Support book cover font

What font does the Life Support book cover use?

Life Support: 100 Poems to Reach for on Dark Night, a 2019 collection of poems by Julia Copus, uses the font Albertus for the book cover design. The text is set center-aligned with generous letterspacing.


The Last Black Man in San Francisco font

What font does the movie The Last Black Man in San Francisco use?

The poster for the 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco uses the font Caslon Graphique. The type is set center-aligned with tight letterspacing, which gives it a 1970s feel.


The Glass Hotel book cover font

What font does The Glass Hotel book cover use?

The Glass Hotel, a novel by Emily St. John Mandel, uses the font Lydian for the book cover design. The type is set with generous letterspacing, which lends an open, spacious feeling to the stark cover artwork.


Charly Bliss Young Enough font

What font does the Charly Bliss album Young Enough use?

The Charly Bliss album Young Enough uses the font Roslindale for the artist name and Harbour for the album title. Roslindale was designed in 2017 by David Jonathan Ross, while Harbour was designed in 1998 by Gareth Hague. Correction: The serif used for the artist name is actually Hawthorn not Roslindale. Thank you DJR for the heads up!


The Water Dancer book cover font

What font does the The Water Dancer book cover use?

The Water Dancer, a 2019 novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates, uses the font Harbour for the book cover design. The bold weight of the typeface is set center aligned with added letterspacing.


Untamed book cover font

What font does the Untamed book cover use?

Untamed, a 2020 novel by Glennon Doyle, uses the font Prohibition for the book cover design. Prohibition was designed by Mattox Shuler of Fort Foundry in 2013 and features flat sides and all caps. The scrawled script below the title is most likely custom hand lettering.


Stay Tuned for the Next Edition

Enter your email in the box below to be notified when I publish a new post in this series. For website design inspiration, check out the Site of the Day section.

I strive to be as accurate as possible with the font identifications, but if you notice any errors, please let me know: jeremiah@typewolf.com.



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