Font used for LEGO Technic logo 1984-1998

[Holly-Wood]

Hi folks,

has anyone investigated what font was used for the old Technic logo:

http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Lego_Technic

Unfortunately sites such as https://www.whatfontis.com/ didn't come up with a suitable result. Knowing the font type would help enormously converting the logo into a LDraw pattern.

Thanks,

Willy
LDraw Content Manager 

Edited May 2, 2024 by Holly-Wood

[Jurss]

I'm pretty shure that it is logo, so it has custom fonts, specially made for that logo, or together with logo. It's more like picture, not text with special font.

[DrJB]

Reminds me of a typeface introduced by Rotring (German Company) many years ago (30+). Edit: Turns out it's an ISO font (read below). Rotring makes drafting/drawing tools including ink pens, templates, ...etc

Look for the typeface on the pens in the link below. Those look very similar to Lego's.

http://www.rotring.com/us/93-technical-calligraphy-pens/93-calligraphy-pens-technical

PS. Yes, I used those pens many years ago, and still have two boxed sets :)

Edited April 21, 2017 by DrJB

[M5Technic]

I would agree with @Jurss

[aeh5040]

Maybe a parameterized font tool such as this one could help in recreating it:

http://www.metaflop.com/modulator

Congratulations on one of the geekiest questions ever  

[Holly-Wood]

Interesting site. But I'm quicker recreating the logo with the LDraw Part Author tools we have than first trying to recreate the font itself - I would still have to convert it into a rough LDraw mesh. I was more hoping into an answer such as:

It is ITC Benguiat Gothic™ St

Has any of you Technic-ians a direct line to Technic department in Billund to check this back?

Thanks, Willy

[Capparezza]

Hm, Benguit Gothic is very different. You can test it for yourself here: https://www.azfonts.net/load_font/bengothb.html.

Maybe you can try your luck at https://www.reddit.com/r/identifythisfont/, people on this reddit sub are amazing at finding out font names

[Jon61]

I too strongly suspect this logo is a custom vector graphic (so that it can be scaled without losing detail) rather than the name rendered in a specific font (although the graphic design could well have been influenced by a particular font). I believe one reason it is often done this way is that it helps to protect a registered trademark, if the logo cannot easily be recreated using a standard font.

Another reason in this particular case though is because of the unusual ligature 'ch', and the way the tails of the 'e' and the final 'c' are extended beyond where they would normally terminate in an italic font (even with kerning).

The font DrJB refers to on the Rotring pens is based on that employed for the ISO lettering stencils that were used with those pens. The ISO font is similar to the Lego logo above in that it has 'rounded' ends (eg like Arial MT Rounded) as you would expect from the shape of the pen's nib. However the Rotring stencils and the ISO font they used specifically eliminated letter strokes joining at acute angles (to minimise the wet ink strokes bleeding together at such junctions). The Technic logo above has a couple of these in the 'h' and the ''n that would be rendered quite differently in the Rotring font. However, given the subject matter, it seems quite likely that the graphic designer of the Technic logo was specifically aiming for the 'technical drawing' feel of the ISO font.

PS  aeh5040, is this geeky enough for you yet? 

[Capparezza]

2 hours ago, Jon61 said:

Another reason in this particular case though is because of the unusual ligature 'ch', and the way the tails of the 'e' and the final 'c' are extended beyond where they would normally terminate in an italic font (even with kerning).

Very good point, indeed.

[Holly-Wood]

After searching a bit more I'll go with:

https://www.whatfontis.com/Benguiat-Gothic-Std-Medium-Obl-adobe.font?text=Technic

and adjust the converted font in the Pattern Creator. Many thanks for all your help!

 

[Steve_SK]

Hello Lego friends,

I've been searching for old Technic logo as well and I ended up with creating one in vector format, so feel free to contact me if you want it, cannot attach SVG nor AI files here. I will use it to put stickers on Lego boxes (25x25cm) with Technic models inside. If you need another file format, let me know.

 

[Isak]

@Steve_SK that looks spot on! Well done! Are you able to upload it as a .png file?

[Steve_SK]

@Isak Yes, sure, please find it in the link below, ZIP file on my dropbox which also contains vector files (SVG & AI). 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3r8c2uunpqvujo4/lego-technic-logo.zip?dl=0

 

[Clever Nickname]

Anyone created a ‚technic‘ Lego logo so far?