Even if you’ve never seen an episode of Stranger Things, you’ve most likely stumbled upon the iconic logo. Stranger Things’ logo has become almost as iconic as the show itself.
Everywhere you look, you’ll see the famous font emblazoned on decorations, clothing, and accessories. There are even tools available to help you create your own Stranger Things logo.
But, what is it about this logo that makes it so memorable?
The Stranger Things symbol, like any effective brand logo, evokes important feelings and ideas to drive deeper emotional connections to the show.
Everything about this emblem is meant to catch the attention of the audience, from the almost glowing red font to the lines that separate the words.
Let’s go over all you should know about this highly effective logo…
What Exactly is Stranger Things?
Stranger Things is a Netflix original series that premiered in 2016 and has four seasons. The plot of the show revolves around a fictional American city in which each citizen possesses one or more supernatural abilities.
History and Meaning
The first season of the series premiered in 2016 on the streaming service Netflix. Matt and Ross Duffers were the screenwriters. The plot is based on the life of a provincial town in the early 1980s.
The mysterious disappearance of a 12-year-old boy sparked a series of mystical events in the town, upending the residents’ quiet, measured way of life. While investigating the boy’s disappearance, the local sheriff unintentionally reveals one strange secret… Let’s not go over the plot again; the series is available on the Internet, and four seasons of the television show have already been released. But his logo’s backstory is fascinating.
Stranger Things Season 1 2016 Logo
The first season of the science fiction series’ logo is based on a text phrase. Graphics are not used because the focus is solely on the title, which emphasizes the strangeness of the events. The directors chose the ITC Benguiat font to convey the atmosphere of phantoms, horror, and style of the 1980s. The words are arranged in two tiers: the upper tier is labeled “Stranger,” and the lower tier is labeled “Things.” Furthermore, a double bar emphasizes the first part of the phrase. The letters themselves are contoured: hollow inside and solid outside, with a solid line circling the edges. The letters “S” and “R” are much larger than the other characters.
Stranger Things Season 2 2017 Logo
The number “2” represents the start of the second season. It was completely painted and placed behind the series’ “translucent” name. A red fog that envelops the phrase “Stranger Things” adds to the ethereal atmosphere.
Stranger Things Season 3 2019 Logo
A new emblem has appeared with the release of the third season. The designers repainted the words in black, leaving a red border, to emphasize the sinister plot. The number 3 is a crimson gradient with dark edges. The writing style is the same: ITC Benguiat serif font with uppercase letters emphasizing the first and last letters of the word “Stranger.” Furthermore, the lines on the logo became solid this year.
Stranger Things 4 Season Logo 2021
The fourth season did not bring significant changes, but the figure has now come to the fore, and the series’ title serves as its backdrop. The enigmatic nature of what is going on is emphasized by gray letters with a thin red border.
The Designers
The showrunners for the insanely popular series were the Duffer brothers, Ross and Matt, who had previously only made one film, “The Lurkers,” as well as scripts for several episodes of the series “The Pines.” As a result, “Stranger Things” could be considered a lucky ticket for the filmmakers.
The Duffer brothers attempted to imagine what would have happened if Steven Spielberg had attempted to screen Stephen King while producing the first season of Stranger Things. The script for the series had to be written impromptu at times, with the help of the other members of the team.
The Storyline
The Stranger Things series has a one-year gap between seasons, but the protagonists remain the same. The project is about a group of teenagers. The first season transports viewers to Hawkins, Indiana, in 1983. A young boy goes missing in town for unknown reasons.
The local police chief, his mother, and a brave group of high school friends set out to find him. They also come across a strange, bald girl who cannot speak at first. It will only be revealed later that the girl possesses telepathic abilities and escaped from a top-secret government laboratory. As an added bonus, some unpleasant company appears from a parallel reality in the form of a monster, a Demogorgon, to pursue her.
The Symbol’s Source of Inspiration
Matt and Ross Duffer stated in an interview that the type used in the title sequence was a “super important” aspect of the show. Why did the Duffer Brothers and Imaginary Forces designers choose this font?
According to Michelle Dougherty, Imaginary Forces’ representative, it was supposed to be a combination of a Stephen King novel font and the Alien title sequence. The Duffer brothers sent 15 Stephen King novels to the design studio so that the logo’s authors could capture the style of the book covers. Surprisingly, the same type was featured in a children’s book series called Choose Your Adventure.
How Was the ITC Benguiat Typeface Modified for the Stranger Things Logo?
If you look at the first two letters, “S” and “T,” you’ll notice that they’re written in a slightly different style. The original font’s “S” is slightly thinner and has a longer left end. Its top serif has also been adjusted to match the serif on the next letter. The logo’s initial “T” has less elaborate and delicate serifs than the original font’s.
You’ll also notice how the letter “A” blends with the letters “R” and “N.” The letters “N” and “G” in both words are also closer than they should be. The authors of the title sequence most likely needed to make the text more compact, which is why the “G” has been slightly cut on the left. The middle serif on the “G” and the top serif on the final “S” have also been slightly reshaped; they appear more solid in the logo. The same can be said for the serifs in the middle and bottom of the “E.”
Furthermore, all of the glyphs have been stretched vertically.
Fonts
The ITC Benguiat font serves as the foundation for the logo. It’s a decorative serif typeface designed by New York typographer Ed Benguiat and released in 1977 by the International Typeface Corporation. The ITC Benguiat typeface, for its part, was inspired by Art Nouveau fonts.
As the font’s creator later explained in an interview, he didn’t design it with any specific meaning or symbolism in mind. He claimed he was simply attempting to create type that was “pretty and legible.” Also, naming the font after himself was not his idea. It was suggested by the president of the type foundry.
Colours
The red gradient on the black background gives the lettering the appearance of red neon bars on a motel sign. This dramatic red in contrast to black brilliantly depicts the series’ authors’ inspiration, which they took from Stephen King’s works. Red here is not about passion or romance, but about mystery and danger, the series’ hypnotic plot, and the deep impression it leaves on you after watching it.
What Is the Font Used in the Stranger Things Logo?
The heavy uppercase lettering on the Stranger Things logo is set in sleek and classy serif fonts that look similar to ITC Benguiat Condensed Bold or Royale Imogen Bold, but with refined and narrowed characters.
Is the Stranger Things Logo Protected by Copyright?
Because the Stranger Things logo is based on lettering executed in a commercial typeface that is freely available online, it does not meet the threshold of originality required for copyright protection and can be freely used. Despite the fact that Stranger Things is a Netflix trademark.
The History of Stranger Things
Stranger Things takes place in the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, in the early 1980s.
The Hawkins National Library in the neighborhood is said to conduct scientific research for the Department of Energy while also secretly conducting supernatural and paranormal experiments, including those on human subjects.
They have unintentionally created a portal to a separate alternate dimension known as “the Upside Down.” As a result, the Upside Down begins to have disastrous effects on the unaware Hawkins population.
Season 1 begins in November 1983, when Will Byers is abducted by a creature from the Upside Down. Will’s mother and the town’s chief of police, Jim Hopper, go in search of him. Simultaneously, a young psychokinetic woman named Eleven escapes from the Hawkins National Library and assists Will’s friends Lucas, Dustin, and Mike in their own search for Will.
Season 2 begins in October 1984, after Will has been rescued, but few people are aware of the events that led up to his kidnapping. When Will’s family and friends discover that creatures from the Upside Down still have an influence on him, they realize that the Upside Down is a major threat to their world.
Season 3 takes place months later, just days before the 1985 Fourth of July holiday. The newly-opened Starcourt Mall has become the center of attraction for Hawkins residents, forcing the closure of most other stores.
Hopper becomes increasingly concerned about Eleven and Mike’s relationship while still attempting to care for Joyce. Unbeknownst to Hawkins, a secret Soviet lab beneath Starcourt Mall is attempting to open the doorway to the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, allowing creatures from this world to possess Hawkins residents and create a new type of horror to sort out.
Final Thoughts
Stranger Things is a Netflix original science fiction drama and horror series created by brothers Ross and Matt Duffer. The showrunners and executive producers are the Duffer brothers, along with Dan Cohen and Shawn Levy. The show debuted on Netflix on July 15, 2016.
Season 1 is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of young Will Byers while supernatural events unfold around Hawkins, including the appearance of Eleven, a young girl with psychokinetic telepathic abilities.
Season 3 focuses on the ramifications of Will’s time in the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, whose creatures are infiltrating the world. As the children continue to fight the entities from the Upside Down, Season 3 focuses on Mike and Evelen’s relationship.
Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer, Cara Buono, Dacre Montgomery, and Joe Keery, among others.
Stranger Things has a large, diverse, and international fan base, and it has attracted a record number of Netflix viewers. The series has received praise from critics for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, pacing, directing, writing, soundtrack, and homages to 1980s films.
Stranger Things has been renewed for a fourth season, which will premiere in the summer of 2022. According to the Duffer brothers, the series will most likely end after Season 4 or 5.
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