this difference in logos?

Edited by Mike W, 03 August 2022 - 07:49 PM.
Posted 03 August 2022 - 08:23 PM
I noticed that in some cases the lettering was not italicized, what is the history of
this difference in logos?55_03_Mounting.jpg
I rely on Dave Komar's "Unitronhistory.com".
https://www.unitronh...om/?s=lettering
Don
Posted 03 August 2022 - 08:30 PM
I rely on Dave Komar's "Unitronhistory.com".
https://www.unitronh...om/?s=lettering
Don
Posted 03 August 2022 - 08:32 PM
I noticed that the 1956 catalogue uses the non-italicized logo while the 1958 and later catalogues (the few I saw) display the italicized form. You can check it out at Robert Provin's telescope site: http://www.csun.edu/~rprovin/
I would expect that you could verify that it remained italicized by checking out more of their catalogues or advertisements.
Jim
Posted 04 August 2022 - 03:41 AM
It appears the change in type styles happened between the '56 and '58 catalogs. I've never heard of a '57 catalog but my 62mm 114 (with straight lettering) came with a fold out brochure that had Unitron italicized on the cover but was still straight above each model. That and some other features of the scope make me think it's possibly a '57 model.
I have to say that when it comes to a discussion on typography, I prefer the term 'straight' as opposed to 'blocked', but I suppose it's my particular graphics upbringing. To me the term 'block lettering' conjures up bold hand painted sign lettering.
Posted 04 August 2022 - 05:54 AM
It was a miss match of parts in the later 50's. We went from all metal SLO- MO rods to plastic grips and no ears to ears and 100mm lens to 102 and so on and so on. Hard to date all this mixed up stuff over the years. Then we saw the red over the cell screws later on down the road.
Posted 04 August 2022 - 06:52 AM
Posted 04 August 2022 - 01:32 PM
There was definitely a change from 56' to 58' in the CATALOGS, but not
always in the parts. Thanks to all for the info, there was a member in my local club
who was looking for answers and that Unitron history page is great!
Mike
It doesn’t consistently go from straight to italic on cells, focusers, and eyepieces until the mid to late 60s. By the late 60s, pretty much everything is italic. Another variation in the lettering on the eyepieces is from straight ‘gold’ (which is just straight engraved lettering with the underlying brass showing through), to straight and white painted, to italic and white painted. I don’t think there were any italic ‘gold’, and the straight and white painted are relatively rare (with the exception of the 40mm Monochro).
Posted 04 August 2022 - 02:05 PM
It doesn’t consistently go from straight to italic on cells, focusers, and eyepieces until the mid to late 60s.
Are you sure about that? Especially on the focusers and cells. I ask since so many kits get jumbled with other parts, and the year of many scopes get mis-identified by their owners.
When it comes to focusers I've noticed the focusers in the catalogs were the same old photos but with retouched logos when they went to italics, then sometimes by mistake they reverted back to straight. Not to mention they are on the wrong side of the focuser!
Posted 04 August 2022 - 02:12 PM
Yeah, I’m pretty certain about that. You see italics in the old catalogs early on but it doesn’t start showing up commonly on the hardware until a decade later. My theory is that the italics started out as a artistic convention, by whoever was doing the layout art. My guess is that they were using an off the shelf rub-on typeface. The look caught on and then it took a number of years for the actual metal engraving to catch up.
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