(x) Hanso Foundation logo - Helvetica, Helvetica Cond, Futura {Norbert (self)}

Norbert Florendo10 May 2006

Ok ABC networks, what kind of font game are you playing?

For those who have been tracking typefaces and icons on the ABC tv series LOST, we now have a new entity to decipher: The Hanso Foundation

Seems that a series of seemingly inoccuous short tv spots running lately delivering somewhat half "New Age" healthy spirit and beneficial corporate foundation will help the word messages, pointing you to a phone number where no one answers... is just part of ABC's marketing scheme to build greater interest in the show LOST!

Not only are they playing with the general tv viewers, but they're playing with nerdy typophiles like you and me!

Why mix weights of Helvetica with Helvetica Condensed and Futura all in the same logo? To confuse and intrigue us into watching more episodes of LOST!

Please correct me if I'm wrong about the typefaces (that's why you're reading this in the Type ID section).

Lex Kominek10 May 2006#

I think you've got the fonts identified.

Maybe the designers wanted to use Helvetica for the Hanso foundation logo to set it apart from the Futura normally associated with Lost. However, the 'O' in "HANSO" could not be Helvetica because Helvetica's oval-shaped 'O' wouldn't work with the yin-yang-style circular logo, so they reverted back to Futura. Since "FOUNDATION" has two 'O's in it, they may have wanted to use Futura so the 'O's wouldn't look out of place.

Why is the 'S' heavier than the rest? Only the polar bears know...

- Lex

EDIT: I just noticed the 'H' is in Futura as well... this makes it H, AN, S, O in different weights/fonts. What does it mean?

EDIT 2: FOUNDation - for a show called LOST - coincidence?

EDIT 3: If you re-arrange the letters in HANSO it spells OSHAN which sounds like ocean - which is where the island is... spooky.

EDIT 4: I need to get some sleep.

ANIAT26 Aug 2007#

I have looked for it on www.identifont.com, and it says its
Helvetica Neue Extended

what do you think?

fontplayer26 Aug 2007#

EDIT 2: FOUNDation - for a show called LOST - coincidence?

EDIT 3: If you re-arrange the letters in HANSO it spells OSHAN which sounds like ocean - which is where the island is... spooky.

EDIT 4: I need to get some sleep.

I think you should have kept on going. Sounds like you were on the verge of an epiphany.

Captured from commoncrawl.org on 27 Apr 2015. original URL