An album from the legendary Wackie’s record label based in the Bronx, active in the late 1970s and 1980s. Helmed by Lloyd Barnes, it became an important place for roots reggae and dub productions with many artists coming from Jamaica to get the special Bullwackie treatment.

The album’s typography is constructed using dry-transfer lettering, mainly Letraset. It’s interesting to see an X-Acto knife reproduced on the cover. It’s shown next to a microphone, a reel-to-reel tape, and what looks like a ruler. Perhaps, a nod to the way the cover is made? The bulk of Wackie’s album covers were very much in the pared down, lo-fi style, appropriate to the sound of the label itself.

The Presenting line is set in Tintoretto. the rest of the type on the front is set in Raphael, and Eurostile.

Note that the images shown are from the reissue from 2005, which scanned the original covers and reproduced them. Early 2000s saw a big interest in the Wackie’s label and many reissues were published in Germany by Basic Channel at that time.

The album was designed Leslie A. Moore, who ran LAM Graphics International design studio, specializing in album covers. You can see more of Leslie’s work at discogs.com

Back of the album is dominated by Bodoni Bold, Times New Roman, and Eurostile. The credits of musicians on the back are curious in that they use the caps from Bodoni, and lowercase from Times New Roman. This certainly is easy to do with dry-transfer lettering.

Original back cover with the distribution credits to Wackie’s and the year at bottom right

We created a distinctive identity for photographer and art director Dondre Green that uses a combination of typography, layout, and colour to present a contemporary and expressive look for his brand and website. Born and raised in the Bronx with roots in Jamaica, Dondre’s creative vision captures the essence of culture, identity, and artistry. His identity and website are designed to reflect his unique perspective and bold creativity.

We chose Base&Bloom from NaumType as the primary header font, while Blaze Type’s Area and Ivy Foundry’s IvyOra serve as complementary fonts. The logo is a modified version of Abide by Barrett RM Type.

Fruit Riot, a sour candy brand under Beyond Better Foods, sports a punchy wordmark set in Ohno Softie by OH no Type Co. – a fitting choice for a name that practically demands a squishy, and energetic treatment. With its bulbous forms, exaggerated curves, and lively rhythm, Ohno Softie captures the sensory overload of a sour candy experience.

The packaging and website include Alyc from Ultra Kuhl for supportive squishiness, and FontPanda’s Think Thick for bringing the irreverent and informal vibe even further.

This was an April Fool’s joke, there is no sour broccoli candy available!

Merch!

Brothers in use on the book jacket for the debut novel by Gabriela Garcia, to be released by Flatiron Books/Macmillan in April 2021:

A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter’s fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born.

Title and author’s name are presented in five center-aligned lines of all caps, in a single size of Brothers Bold, interrupted only by the handwritten words “a novel” in the center. The blocky typography is shown in white, with varying levels of transparency. This effect lets the letterforms interact with the imagery beneath, as if they were cut from tissue paper, or painted with semi-opaque ink.

The jacket is one of the last works to be created by Adalis Martinez. The talented designer and SVA graduate died in July 2020, way before her time.

New York Magazine and a group of talented local NYC journalists have partnered to develop a “new, non-profit, non-partisan news website dedicated to accountability reporting serving the people of New York City – called The City”. Led by Jere Hester, a former city editor at The Daily News and Brooklyn resident, The City provides on-the-ground reporting of real issues in NYC. The City uses Sharp Grotesk for its logotype and as its primary typeface online, in print, and in digital media.

Read and see more images on Sharp Type News.

Jerome Harris, AIGA Eye on Design:

Phase 2, born Lonny Wood, is a writer from the Bronx and was known as a member of the Zulu Nation. Word on the street is that he’s an elusive legend, but his graffiti and graphic design works speak for themselves. This flyer in particular displays some of Phase 2’s typographic tendencies that I find particularly compelling. For example, the composition of the title with that tiny “s” gets me every time. Also, the “NYC BREAKERS” along the bottom jumbled as if they’re breaking is excellent. Even the quotation marks are dancing. Phase 2’s attention to detail is great, cutting out the back of the “D” that overlaps the “G” in “EDGE,” and the consistent tight setting of all of the caps is quite lovely when you consider he rubbed each letter on individually.

A handful of African-American designers seemed exempt from Modernism’s influence, which may be because they didn’t work in advertising or commerce. Buddy Esquire and Phase 2 were self-taught as designers, yet began as graffiti writers and translated the expressive qualities of their life-sized work to letter sized paper using Letraset type, Exacto knives, pens, and glue.

Date unknown. From collection 2009.213, Fingerman Ephemera Collection, in Hagley’s Audiovisual Collections. Thanks to The Hagley Vault for sharing and animating!