Looking for the typeface used on the cover of Catch-22

February 27, 2017 1:58 PM

Or something close to it. Specifically, the version pictured here, used in the title of the book: clickbait. Bonus if it's a font available on Google Docs. Thank you in advance.
posted by Team of Scientists to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Alternate Gothic No. 2 isn't far off, though the cover's typeface looks a little stretched in comparison.
posted by mushhushshu at 2:27 PM on February 27, 2017

That lettering was done by hand, by the great designer Paul Bacon.
posted by Jairus at 2:28 PM on February 27, 2017

If you type "CATCH-22" into the "Your Text" box here, and scroll down, you'll see that Steelfish Bold is a pretty darn close match. Found via FontSquirrel. The only problem is that Steelfish was not created until 2001, "inspired by early to mid-20th Century newspaper headlines." A good possibility for the 1950s antecedent would be Sign Gothic Condensed Bold.

There are lots of variations of Linotype's Gothic but many of them such as the Alternative No. 2 cited above, don't have the same kind of curves in the 2's.

The lettering was certainly adjusted and shadowed by hand by Bacon, but could well have started out with a standard font.
posted by beagle at 2:36 PM on February 27, 2017

My first thought was Tanek from CSA.
posted by Room 641-A at 3:27 PM on February 27, 2017

The closest free font is probably League Gothic. The 2 is definitely different, however
posted by O9scar at 4:16 PM on February 27, 2017

The nearest typeface I can find is called Ludlow 6 E C Extra Condensed. Silvertone Woodtype is a modern recreation of it.

Oswald is a Google free font that's similar in spirit.
posted by adamrice at 6:16 AM on February 28, 2017