Night Moves movie poster and promotional artifacts (1975–2005)

Original 1975 poster.

Alpha Midnight is a fat caps-only geometric stencil with bi-form alternates. Sightings are very common when looking at 1970s print media. Tracking down information about its designer and original manufacturer can lead to a trail of rumors and dead-ends. It would be easy to call Alpha Midnight a casualty of history, especially since it has seen little use in the past few decades.

It saw frequent use on ’70s movie posters, most especially. A perfect example is the poster (and related promotional materials) for Night Moves, a 1975 movie starring Gene Hackman. The title, set in Alpha Midnight, was apparently an essential detail that VHS and DVD cover designers didn’t overlook when they followed suit in decades following.

Lobby card featuring co-star Jennifer Warren.

Lobby card using Clarendon for taglines and ITC Franklin Gothic for credits, like the poster above.

Cover art from 1992 videotape release. Memphis is used for the credits and tagline.

The 2005 DVD release of the film also featured Alpha Midnight for the title. Futura Condensed was used for the tagline and credits.

Alpha Midnight might be the most well known phototype of a series that also included Alpha Midday, Alpha Sunrise, and Alpha Twilight. Some have credited John Schaedler, of Tabasco fame, as the designer. Nick Curtis made a digital typeface inspired by Alpha Midnight called Mister Bones NF in 2011. Edit: Shin Oka has identified Hiroshi Yamashita as the designer.