I originally wrote about Dave Addey’s book, Typeset in the Future: Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies back in February 2018. It was originally set to release on October 16th, then it got moved to October 30th, and then there was an unfortunate production glitch that pushed it back yet again. We’re a couple weeks into December now, and the book is finally available for purchase.

To refresh your memory, Typeset in the Future is “an obsessively geeky study of how classic sci-fi movies draw us in to their imagined worlds.” From the book’s description:

In Typeset in the Future, blogger and designer Dave Addey invites sci-fi movie fans on a journey through seven genre-defining classics, discovering how they create compelling visions of the future through typography and design. The book delves deep into 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, Blade Runner, Total Recall, WALL·E, and Moon, studying the design tricks and inspirations that make each film transcend mere celluloid and become a believable reality.

The book also includes additional typography studies, film stills and concept art, and interviews with experts in various fields — like sci-fi, typography, and design — along with people who have actually worked on the films (and TV shows) being studied. Examples of these ephemera include:

• A study of the tricks movies use to make their worlds look realistic without distracting you from the plot.
• A detailed guide on how to make your own text look futuristic.
• A study of futuristic movie font Eurostile Bold Extended.
• A foreword from Matt Zoller Seitz, editor-in-chief of RogerEbert.com, and author of New York Times bestsellers The Wes Anderson Collection and The Wes Anderson Collection: Grand Budapest Hotel.

Get the book in these formats:

• Hardcover ($26) ← recommended
• Kindle ($17)
• Apple Books ($17)