Netflix’s Stranger Things has been a massive hit, and shockingly the fonts used in the 80s-inspired show are also garnering a fanbase of their own. The show has a brilliant gaudy-cum-gothic aesthetic as well as iconic type fonts and I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to create the look in your own projects.
Fortunately, you do not need to travel to the Upside Down or outrun Demagorgons to find out which exact fonts are used in the show because I have gathered them all up in a single article for you. Be it that famous font from the main title, or the ship-shape style from Scoops Ahoy, no matter which font type you are searching for, I’ve got you covered, mostly. What’s better you ask, is the fact that most of these fonts are free to download, meaning you can recreate that famous Stranger Things look without breaking the bank. However, you have to take a look at the terms before you start using them.
1. ITC Benguiat
Let’s begin with the now iconic ITC Benguiat, it is featured in the main title of the show. If you are wondering why, it looks so familiar (and not just due to Stranger Things), it is because the Duffer Brothers, who created the show, were heavily influenced by Stephen King’s Horror stories. While they were choosing a font for the title, they selected 12 of King’s book covers as a reference. So, when you download ITC Benguiat, you can recreate your very own spooky Stephen King-style vibes, and the font is free.
“There is something about when we were kids when we would open up one of the big fat Stephen King novels that we loved,” said the brothers, as per Fonts In Use(. “We wanted this show to have that sort of feeling every time a new chapter started.”
2. Bookman Swash
The Scoops Ahoy store only exists in the Stranger-verse, however, the font we can at least experience that. Luckily if you wish to recreate the Scoops Ahoy branding, you can do just that with the Bookman Swash typeface, which can be downloaded for free.
ITC Bookman Swash is an OpenType version of ITC Bookman which was created by Ed Benguiat in 1975. The Old Bookman style was created by Alexander Phemister in 1858. The playful yet old-timely feel of this typeface is what makes it pop.
3. Krazy Knacks/Laser
If you watched Stranger Things Season 4, then it is almost a possibility that one of your new favorite characters is Argyle, with his larger-than-life pizza truck. The Surfer Boy Pizza company, again, sadly only exists in the Upside Down, however, the two fonts used in the logo are very much attainable and usable in the real world.
The designs sport both the Krazy Knacks, which is free, and Laser which costs around $39/£39. The laser was “drawn by Martin Wait and issued by Letraset in 1987, which makes it nearly a period correct choice”, according to Fontsinuse.
Krazy Knacks was created in 2003 by Nick Curtis, he described the font as, “suggestive of Cooper Black on some serious drugs” – which could be used perfectly, to sum up, Argyle’s character.
4. Kimberly
Kimberly is the font that is used on the Hawkins Light and Power logo. It has a particularly sci-fi feel to it with its strict lines as well as futuristic look. The elongated glyphs and neatness of the font make it look quite sinister, which is the perfect free typeface to add tension to your sci-fi-themed projects.
Kimberley is a “technological sans-serif typeface”, which sounds fairly apt for Hawkins. “Galvanised by 1970s corporate/industrial logotypes, Kimberley is used to convey a neoteric, machine-made aesthetic,” according to FontSquirrel’s description. The font is available in seven different weights, meaning that it should mostly have you covered for a range of different projects.
5. Serpentine Sans Oblique
Not going to lie but I was really optimistic that something would work out between Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington and Robin Buckley, sadly, it didn’t, however, you don’t need to be disappointed. Because you can use the Serpentine Sans Oblique which was the font used on the Family Video Store logo. While the logo has a few more embellishments (like the stretched-out lettering), it is based on the free typeface.
As per Fonts.com, Serpentine was designed by Dirk Jensen in 1972. It was likely inspired by Aldo Novarese’s Eurostile. “Jensen used the similar letterforms, square with rounded corners, however, added contrast to the stroke’s weights and a hint of a serif on most terminals,”.
Bonus (I mean why just stop at 5 Stranger things fonts)
Daydream
Eddie Munson has quickly become a fan favorite in the show since he joined the crew in Season four. Munson spends all of the season sporting his ‘Hellfire Club’ T-shirt, the tee uses a textured-up version of the Daydream font which costs around $19/£12. This font feels playful as well as retro with a ’70s-esque look to it. The Daydream font was created by the independent font boundary, Volcano Type.
Rogue Sans Nova Bold
As we are on the topic of T-shirts worn in the show, remember when Dustin returns from ‘Camp Know Where’ in season three, and he is kind of ignored, yea don’t remember that, instead, do you remember that he was wearing a particularly retro-looking T-Shirt. The design on the t-shirt makes use of the Rogue Sans Nova Bold font, which manages to achieve a futuristic yet retro look at the very same time.
The Rogue Sans typeface family is a little on the costlier side a little when compared to the other fonts, but its rich back history, as well as its stylish look, make it worth the money. The font was created by Rian Hughes, it is made up of 30 different styles in the collection. Thanks to its authoritative look, Rogue Sans has ended up being one of the most popular fonts to ever be released.
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