Thomas Gilbert’s fan poster for 2001: A Space Odyssey is a highly stylized, refreshing take on one of the most revered science fiction movies of all time. The choice of Mostra Nuova, based on Italian Art Deco lettering of the 1930s, is an unexpectedly natural fit. The use of the movie's space station as a visual pun to represent the double-zero is genius. I can’t believe I've never seen it done before.

Gilbert makes the most of Mostra Nuova’s stylistic range, utilizing several alternate characters. Some characters have been modified—P, E, D, and particularly the S, with the inside curves made into sharp corners that give it an almost tech vibe.

Gilbert is an automotive designer working at Aston Martin and has been creating his Art Deco style fan movie posters for at least five years, often using Mostra Nuova and other Art Deco inspired typefaces. He doesn't seem to have a website, but his work can be seen on his Instagram account.

In 2020, San Francisco Symphony celebrated the 25th and final season of the acclaimed Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, who has guided the organization into one of the world’s leading ensembles. San Francisco studio Manual was commissioned to update the identity and design a campaign for these remarkable milestones and Thomas’s final season in 2019–2020.

Beatrice Display’s unique high-contrast model caught the eyes of the team at Manual Creative and seemed like a suitable match for SF Symphony. In order to take it to the next level and ensure that the typefaces could be used in more contexts for an updated, robust brand, Sharp Type designed custom optical sizes including Beatrice Headline and Beatrice Deck to be used alongside Beatrice. The typefaces are used throughout the website, on print, and on marketing collateral. On the Beatrice family, the team at Manual Creative writes:

Having just launched when our work began with the symphony, Beatrice struck us as the perfect contemporary typographic expression. Its high contrast, idiosyncratic forms, and overall visual rhythm provided a musical quality to letterforms.

Gill Sans is usually the typeface associated with 2001: A Space Odyssey, but this purely typographic treatment using Permanent Headline for a promotional program (28 pages, 16″×7.25″) is equally dramatic.

The booklet also came in a more conventional portrait format.

Ad for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in Playboy magazine, 1968

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