What Font Is the Stranger Things Logo?
The Stranger Things title is set in ITC Benguiat, a 1977 typeface by Ed Benguiat. Here's its story, where to get it, and how to recreate the glow.
Short answer: the Stranger Things logo uses ITC Benguiat, a decorative serif designed by Ed Benguiat and released by the International Typeface Corporation (ITC) in 1977. The glowing red outline is an effect added on top of the font.
Where the Stranger Things look comes from
The show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, wanted the title to feel like it came straight out of the 1980s. As quoted by Fonts In Use, they said the font choice came from vintage Stephen King paperback covers, and the design of the sequence from the classic film titles of designer Richard Greenberg.
The title sequence itself was created by the design studio Imaginary Forces. Its slow, drifting, glowing letters became one of the most copied title designs of the 2010s. The cast names in the opening credits use a different font: ITC Avant Garde Gothic.
What makes ITC Benguiat distinctive
- A very high x-height. Lowercase letters are unusually tall compared with the capitals.
- Art Nouveau flavor. Soft, flowing curves and flared details give it a mysterious, old-bookshop mood.
- Several widths and weights. The family ranges from condensed to wide and from light to bold, so it can be subtle or loud.
The logo also stretches some letters and adds thin bars that frame the words. Those are design touches added for the show, not part of the font.
Where else you’ve seen ITC Benguiat
According to Wikipedia, the typeface also appeared on:
- 1980s editions of Stephen King’s novels,
- the Choose Your Own Adventure book series,
- the films Star Trek Generations and Star Trek: First Contact,
- The Smiths’ album Strangeways, Here We Come.
No wonder it feels so nostalgic.
How to get ITC Benguiat
ITC Benguiat is a commercial font. You can license it from Monotype, which owns the ITC library, or through font shops such as MyFonts.
Be careful with “Stranger Things font” downloads on free font sites. They’re usually fan-made imitations, and they’re often free for personal use only, so you can’t use them for client work, merch or ads. Font Licenses Explained covers what that means.
Is there a free alternative?
There’s no close copy of ITC Benguiat on Google Fonts, so a free option means trading accuracy for a similar mood. Fraunces is the best bet: a free “soft serif” inspired by early 20th-century display faces such as Windsor, Souvenir and Cooper. Its bold weights have the same warm, vintage character, and it’s free for commercial use.
How to recreate the glowing title effect
- Type your text in capitals in a bold Benguiat-style serif.
- Remove the fill and give the letters a thin red outline (stroke).
- Add a red outer glow. Or duplicate the text, blur the copy, and place it behind.
- Set it on a black background, and add a little film grain for a VHS feel.
Any design app with stroke and glow effects can do this, including Photoshop, Affinity and Figma.
Found another retro title font?
The 1980s revival is everywhere, from posters to album covers. Take a screenshot of any retro lettering and upload it to Whatsdafont to find the closest fonts, including free ones. And if a title turns out to be custom lettering, here’s why.
Sources: Fonts In Use: Stranger Things · Wikipedia: ITC Benguiat