Aldrin font creates a buzz
On 21 July 1969, Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin, became the second man to ever walk on the moon, following the mission commander Neil Armstrong.
He and Armstrong were also the first two men to land a rocket there, following a four-day orbit around Earth.
This feat has inspired many events, places and non-fictional characters to be based on the astronauts of Apollo 11. For Aldrin, his most well-known namesake is perhaps Buzz Lightyear, the toy spaceman sidekick to cowboy Woody in Pixar’s Toy Story trilogy.
Yet recognition of what Aldrin achieved during an extraordinary astronaut career is not limited merely to international film franchises.
London-based boutique type foundry, Fontsmith, has developed a new font, named FS Aldrin. With approval from Buzz himself, the font has been developed in a rounded style.
A similar font, FS Emeric, was launched in 2013, was used as a basis by Fontsmith design director Phil Garnham to create a more rounded, fluid and altogether sharper-looking font style. As the Fontsmith website states, it is as though FS Aldrin has taken “FS Emeric’s sincerity and [added] a joyous smile.”
Available in six weights, the font combines curved and straight elements in an elegant displace. Its diversity renders FS Aldrin suitable for a host of applications, from data-heavy analytics to more heavy blocks of text.
The connection between a world-famous astronaut and a new font may appear to some somewhat tenuous. Yet Garnham, explains the reasoning behind his choice, aligning the style of the font with the theme of space. In a press release, Garnham says, “The openness of the circular strokes combined with its more technical, crafted aspects made a voice in my head scream “space rocket”!”
“As a self-confessed space geek, the personality of this font presented a great opportunity to honour one of my boyhood heroes.”
The concept of doing what no boutique font agency had done before, of breaking new ground and creating something uniquely distinctive itself draws parallels with Armstrong and Aldrin’s moon landing mission.
Indeed, so impressed was Aldrin with the work Garnham and his creative team put into the font design, that his management asked Fontsmith if Buzz could use FS Aldrin during speeches and presentations – of course, they agreed.
The link between this famous astronaut and FS Aldrin does not stop at a mere font, however. Fontsmith then expanded the FS Aldrin palette to include not only letters and numbers, but a plethora of icons.
The 268 extra images of the FS Aldrin palette range are built around themes such as navigation and weather; yet 30 are also ‘Buzz specials’ featuring space rockets, shuttles, and planets.There is also an FS Aldrin icon of Buzz himself.
The immense versatility of the font, with its hand-crafted rendering, will ensure it provides a clear yet interesting typography across a wide variety of applications. Fontsmith can only hope FS Aldrin will be used in presentations about the solar system and space travel.
