0“Data 70” (or “Data Seventy”) is another typeface which some claim is the first full alphabet based on the MICR font E-13B (Figure 2-26). Fortunately, the origins of Data 70 are better documented, so its claims to originality can be evaluated in more detail. Owens and Reinfurt, in their article on the influence of E-13B, only discuss Data 70, but they claim that, like Jaspert does of Moore Computer, that Data 70 “expanded the look of the E13B numeral set into a full upper and lowercase alphabet” (Owens & Reinfurt 147)⁠. Since Moore Computer is an uppercase-only typeface, it is true that Data 70 is, in one sense, a further expansion than Moore Computer. However, the fact that Data 70 includes Arabic numerals bearing little to no resemblance to E-13B (see figure 2-27) suggests instead an indirect line of influence. Bob Newman designed Data 70 in 1970 for Letraset, a manufacturer of rub-on lettering and other graphics (Owens & Reinfurt 147)⁠. Its characters adopt the extraneous slabs of E-13B, but Data 70’s are more rounded and more judicious and consistent in their distribution. In general, the typeface reflects a specific stylization that evokes the sense of E-13B while emblematizing the original. This can be seen most clearly when comparing the characters 1, 4, and 0 (Figure 2-28).

0Figure 2-26. Sample characters from Data 70. Designed by Bob Newman and published in 1970 as a Letraset original.

0Figure 2-27. The Arabic numerals from Data 70, bearing only a general resemblance to E-13B.

0A

0B

0C

0Data 70 is essentially a sans-serif font, which is clearly visible in its version of the Arabic numeral 1. While E-13B’s 1 prominently features an abnormally large slab serif, Newman has replaced this with the uniform slab present in each Data 70 character. By placing this on the left side of the vertical stroke and removing the upper spur, Newman has created a sans-serif 1 that is distinguishable from his lowercase l, which places its slab on the right side of its stroke. The transformation of the 4 in Data 70 is more dramatic, enclosing the open counter. Like Moore, Newman must distinguish the 0 (zero) from O with the strategic placement of a slab. However, since Data 70’s forms are more consistent, the slab placement is also the only distinguishing characteristic among 0,O, capital D, and capital Q, as shown in figure 2-29.

0Figure 2-29. 0,O, D, and Q from Data 70.

0Data 70 makes frequent appearances on Arcade Fliers and game operating manuals. It was the logotype for the 1972 arcade game “Star Trek” (a copy of Nolan Bushnell’s “Computer Space,” figure 2-30), “Computer Space Ball” (also from 1972, figure 2-31), and in “BiSci Blood Type Challenge” (a contemporary educational game that is a “send-up” of 1980s arcade games, 2-32). Data 70 is also the title font for Walter Buchsbaum and Walter Mauro’s 1979 textbook, Electronic Games: Design, Programming, and Troubleshooting (Figure 2-33).

0Figure 2-30. “Star Trek” Arcade Cabinet. (“Star Trek (1972)”)

0Figure 2-31. “Computer Space Ball” flyer employing Data 70. (“Video Game: Computer Space Ball, Nutting Associates”)

0Figure 2-32. “BiSci Blood Type Challenge,” a learning game using Data 70. (Janzen)

0Figure 2-33. Cover, Electronic Games: Design, Programming, and Troubleshooting (1978). (Buchsbaum & Mauro)