Magnum’s Summer 2023 campaign features two new flavours: Starchaser and Sunlover. Campaign by LOLA Mullenlowe, with artwork by La Boca (via Agent Pekka). The ice cream wordmarks are based on Love by VJ-Type. [edit: The accompanying sans serif has been identified as Lÿno Stan, see comments.]

Higamos Hogamos – “Infinity +1” 12″ front cover (DC, 2009). [More info on Discogs]

Higamos Hogamos is a project by musicians Steve Webster and Toby Jenkins. La Boca designed the covers for the debut releases on D.C. Recordings, and unearthed a largely forgotten display heavyweight from the 1970s: Too Much was designed by Bill Seifert for VGC in 1974.

While the self-titled album (see further below) presents the fat shaded caps with an additional perspective shadow, the “Infinity +1” cover shown at the top features a bidirectional enlarge-and-repeat treatment. Similar to crop-and-repeat, it adds lines of different colors, from incandescent yellow to cool purple, for an impressive Big Bang effect.

This design is still being used as a de facto band logo.

The track names on the back are set in all-caps VAG Rounded. The stickers feature Westminster and Eurostile.

Higamos Hogamos – “Infinity +1” 12″ back cover (DC, 2009).

Higamos Hogamos – “Infinity +1” 12″ back and front cover (DC, 2009).

Higamos Hogamos – “Major Blitzkrieg” 12″ front cover (DC, 2009). [More info on Discogs]

Higamos Hogamos – Higamos Hogamos LP front cover (DC, 2009). [More info on Discogs]

Higamos Hogamos – Higamos Hogamos LP back cover (DC, 2009).

New official La Boca film poster for the Carol Reed movie The Third Man (1949). Designed for the Dark City Gallery and StudioCanal, there will be two limited edition screenprints available: Metallic Silver & Black (edition of 75), and Blue & Pink (edition of 150). All signed & numbered, and hand-printed in the UK. — debutart.tumblr.com

The primary typeface for this poster is Fanfare (Louis Oppenheim, 1927). Apparently, the designers of La Boca were unhappy with some of its capital letters, so they replaced them with shapes that are derived from the lowercase – see C, M, V and W. The script is Filmotype LaSalle, designed in 1952 by Ray Baker. Looking at a word like ‘Alida’ reveals that Filmotype’s official digitization (Patrick Griffin, Rebecca Alaccari, 2008) – the version that is used here – is superior to competing releases.

Thanks to @monokromfonts for the pointer.

The Oscars air in two weeks. Four of the ten Best Picture nominees were promoted with Gotham, perhaps the successor to Trajan as the movie poster default — a torch passing that I gladly welcome. But this isn’t another post about typeface ubiquity. This is about the rule-breaking posters for “Black Swan” by UK firm La Boca.

If only actors, agents, and studios would let go of their inane photographic (star’s head must occupy 50% of poster) and typographic (star’s name must appear before all other names and be X inches high) requirements, we would see more posters like these — distinctive campaigns that are true to the films they represent.

Yes, “Black Swan” did get the obligatory mugshot treatment, but La Boca was allowed to sidestep conventions for their series of international teasers.

My favorite of the posters features Britannic, a Stephenson Blake design from 1901. This kind of high contrast, closed aperture, turn-of-the-century sans serif (like Radiant and Globe Gothic) is rarely used these days, especially in movie advertising. Even without the illustration, it takes the viewer to another place. Acier BAT, a Cassandre revival (see also Bifur), is similarly striking. Having not yet seen the film I can’t say if “Black Swan” relates to the Futurism movement, but this art transports you in a way that standard posters don’t.

The other star here is Mark Simonson’s Mostra, the most complete digital font interpretation of Italian Art Deco posters and advertising. Designed in 2001, Mostra was a caps-only face with a three styles of letters. In 2009 Simonson released Mostra Nuova which added a lowercase and OpenType functionality.

Looking to grace your wall with one of these beauties? Unfortunately, the full-size posters are not available for purchase, but Fox Searchlight is selling the art on hoodies and mouse pads. I hope they wise up soon and offer the work in its original state. It sounds like knockoff shops are already in the game.

See also: The Guardian Film Blog on the posters, ScreenFonts (Yves Peters’ monthly movie poster review)