Thread by @PulpLibrarian

Today in pulp I look back at the fonts of 1975!

I know that's the content you come here for... #FridayFeeling

Now I know what you're thinking: 1975? Surely that was wall to wall Bookman Swash!

Well not quite...

We all know that the books of '75 were fond of a cursive font. Goudy Fancy was all the rage and even Cooper Black got a bit swashy.

But many new typefaces were starting to appear too....

Futura Fineline had first appeared in 1971 and its elegant glyphs were a good match for the mid-70s mood.

Eightball had also appeared in 1972. Its slightly crazy, slightly zany look was a popular way to add a nonchalant counterpoint to many a boring book cover.

The Tabasco typeface had appeared in the early 1970s and was part of a trend towards a kind of simple futurism in font design - unfussy, but just jarring enough when you parsed the title.

So was Pipeline. Released in 1970 this was a very popular choice for sci-fi novels and movie posters in 1975, mixing lower case 'n's into the title case mix.

Expressa, launched in 1973, took a different route towards simple futurism: smooth curves and pleasant proportions. It worked well with a shadow too.

Speaking of shadow... Pluto half-solid was a very mid-70s typeface. It had a psychedelic chrome vibe that suggested a funky future was just around the corner.

Funky was certainly a popular theme for the fonts of 1975. Here's Behemoth Clarendon Italic Swash, proving that less isn't more when it comes to a title typeface.

Anonymous, released in 1974, is a top-heavy marching line of chunky, blocky glyphs that I think is quite charming.

Speaking of blocky, 1975 also saw a nostalgic harking back to fin de siècle typefaces such as Gothic Bold from 1899...

...and Marschall from 1905. I do like the 'W's and 'A's here.

But for me the typeface that sums up the book covers of 1975 is ITC Serif Gothic. It was everywhere that year: elegant, emotional and ever so expressive.

That's it for my look at the fonts of 1975. More typography another time...