For its 39th edition, the Festival International de Musique de Belfort (FIMU) – which draws over 100,000 festival-goers and 1,000 international artists each year – honors Belgium with a quirky, advertising-inspired visual identity. Conceived by me, art director and graphic designer Benjamin Puddu, the concept revisits the traditional cone of French fries. Treated as an iconic object, this popular symbol captures the festival’s energy without falling into literal folklore. The colors of the Belgian flag structure the composition, while the inclusion of wristbands from past editions weaves a link to the event's history.

The poster is the result of a close collaboration between me and IGO Studio (Steven Mazzola and Coline Munier). Known for their sculptural and meticulous approach to still life, the duo focused on authentic materiality in the face of omnipresent AI. In contrast to algorithmic visuals, the image comes from a 100% real studio production using deliberate flash lighting. This technical choice heightens the visual impact of this free festival, while adopting a frontal aesthetic that underscores the absurdity of the staging. To bring this universe to life across all touchpoints, graphic designers Sarah Not and Barbee meticulously handled the entire graphic rollout and layout adaptations.

On the typography front, the choice of Julieta Ulanovsky’s Montserrat responds to a need for clarity and power. Inspired by the urban signage of Buenos Aires, this geometric sans-serif eliminates all artifice. Its rational structure resonates perfectly with the almost commercial treatment of the photograph. Universal and robust, its raw neutrality offers an ideal counterpoint to the image, anchoring FIMU within a sustainable and coherent art direction for all audiences.

The visual universe is also adapted into a children’s version with a more playful tone. The typographic block adjusts: Montserrat becomes rounded and the letters of the word FIMU shift to create a freer rhythm. Secondary information adopts a handwritten style evoking children's writing, while the color palette swaps vivid tones for four pastel shades, all while maintaining the aesthetic rigor of the main poster.

Memory of Megan (initially released as The Ghosts of Megan) is a book by Marc Lovell. The plot revolves around an actress named Stella Grifith, who decides to head to her ancestors' hometown of Rythgollen in an attempt to escape from Hollywood and Sam Cullen, her boyfriend. However, things go south after she finds herself having to deal with the ghost of a girl named Megan, and Sam Cullen, who manages to track Stella down. Originally released in 1968 by Doubleday, the book has been republished by several different companies, including Ace Books, whose second printing was released in May 1973.

The typeface for the title is Oxford Italic Swash, which is distinguished from its non-swashed counterpart by several details, including the single-story g and presence of swash alternates. The f is apparently a modification, as none of the face’s alternates have a ball terminal on the bottom for that letter.

Title card

From Wikipedia:

The Brood is a 1979 Canadian psychological body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, and starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. Its plot follows a man and his mentally ill ex-wife, who has been sequestered by a psychiatrist known for his controversial therapy techniques. A series of brutal unsolved murders serves as the backdrop for the central narrative.

The movie logo features modified caps from Revue (Letraset, 1969): Compared to Colin Brignall’s original design, H and R lost the descending bits. In B, R and D, the open top left corner was closed and rounded off. E got the same treatment and was further calmed down by arms of equal length with vertically cut terminals.

US One Sheet (27″×41″) poster. The tagline “They’re waiting… for you” uses all-caps Antique Olive Compact. David Cronenberg’s name appears to be set in a heavy weight of Fiedler Gothic.

British Quad (30″×40″) poster. The designers of this version apparently weren’t supplied with the original logo and had a go at Revue’s letterforms themselves. The original protruding bits in B, R and D were made longer. E follows suit and keeps its angled terminals.

This British Double Crown (20″×29.75″) poster puts the focus on Cindy Hinds in her role as Candice (here Candy). The movie logo is paired with two weights of ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

The Huntington is an iconic cultural institution in Southern California, founded in 1919. Spanning a vast estate, it brings together gardens, a research library, and a museum, creating a place where history, art, nature, and knowledge intersect. Far more than just a museum or a garden, The Huntington fosters research, learning, and public curiosity through interdisciplinary exhibitions.

Base Design developed the institution’s new brand identity and supported the rebranding process through brand strategy, naming, and signage.

The typeface in use for the identity is Moulin Medium, released by Commercial Type. It’s supported by Luzi Type’s Messina Sans.

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.

Source: posteritati.com Posteritati. License: All Rights Reserved.

Der amerikanische Freund – German version

From Wikipedia:

The American Friend (German: Der amerikanische Freund) is a 1977 neo-noir film written and directed by Wim Wenders, adapted from the 1974 novel Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith. It stars Dennis Hopper as career-criminal Tom Ripley and Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Zimmermann, a terminally ill picture framer whom Ripley coaxes into becoming an assassin. The film uses an unusual “natural” language concept: Zimmermann speaks German with his family and his doctor, but English with Ripley and while visiting Paris.

As with many releases by Filmverlag der Autoren, the poster was designed by Margit and Peter Sickert. And as with several other of their poster designs, the main typeface once more is Intrigue, used in all caps. In the German version, the second A that’s decorated with a star lands right in the center of the setting. The other language versions aren’t quite as symmetrical, and have the star relegated to the initial A. Secondary information is added in Beton and ITC Korinna.

Source: movieposters.ha.com Heritage Auctions. License: All Rights Reserved.

The American Friend – English version

Source: posteritati.com Posteritati. License: All Rights Reserved.

L’Ami américain – French version

From Wikipedia:

Crash Bandicoot is a 1996 platform game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The player controls Crash, a genetically enhanced bandicoot created by the mad scientist Doctor Neo Cortex. The story follows Crash as he aims to foil Cortex's plans for world domination and rescue his girlfriend Tawna, a female bandicoot also created by Cortex. The game is played from a third-person perspective in which the camera trails behind Crash, though some levels feature forward-scrolling and side-scrolling perspectives.

The logo uses caps from ComicsCarToon with a 3D effect as well as a flipped C and a modified H. “Bandicoot” is added in stretched Roquette.

This self-titled LP was the first and only studio album by Jackson C. Frank (1943–1999). Recorded by Paul Simon with contributions by Al Stewart and Art Garfunkel, it was released in December 1965.

[More info on Discogs]

Book jacket of Father Feelings by Eliot A. Daley featuring some creative use of tightly spaced ITC Fat Face and Monotype Garamond with swashes. The flap uses a more conventional setting of ITC Fat Face.

New Design from Düsseldorf, organized by the Faculty of Design of the Peter Behrens School of Arts at Hochschule Düsseldorf–University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with design (from) düsseldorf, presents around 50 nominated projects by graduates of the programs in New Craft Object Design, Communication Design, Retail Design, and Exhibition Design. The exhibition took place at NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, and the accompanying catalog documents and reflected on the presented works, highlighting the innovative design thinking emerging from Düsseldorf.

The projects engage with contemporary social issues—such as identity, gender, feminism, sustainability, education, and science—through experimental and artistic approaches. In doing so, the role of design and the impact of its methods are continuously examined, critically reassessed, and reinterpreted within a rapidly evolving society, with the aim of addressing societal questions and creating new spaces for reflection.

The catalog includes forewords and an essay on the exhibition design process, in which students developed and realized sustainable exhibition furniture specifically conceived for the presentation. In addition, it features project descriptions by the exhibiting graduates, offering insight into their individual concepts, methods, and positions, while celebrating the breadth and quality of design being developed in Düsseldorf today.

The bilingual publication (German and English) was edited by the Faculty of Design of Peter Behrens School of Arts at Hochschule Düsseldorf–University of Applied Sciences; design (from) düsseldorf – Förderverein des Fachbereichs Design der Hochschule Düsseldorf e.V; with co-editors Eric Fritsch and Anne-Cathrine Mosbach. The book has 360 pages measuring 17×24 cm, was offset printed in full color with spot color, and bound as Swiss brochure with flaps, open thread-stitching, and inkless embossing. It was published by Slanted Publishers. ISBN: 978-3-69202-008-2.

Bar Boteco da Manu, created by Manuelle Ferraz of A Baianeira, occupies a renovated corner house in Barra Funda. The visual identity draws on elements commonly associated with the boteco, including cold beer, glassware, snacks, and street-facing social spaces.

A red rose serves as the central graphic element, appearing across applications and connecting references from popular culture, nightlife, and everyday urban life. The color palette revolves around different shades of red.

The VTC Bayard typeface, by Vocal Type, relates the identity to a vernacular visual vocabulary, close to signs, street banners, and other graphic codes of the urban space. GT Alpina, by Reto Moser (published by Grilli Type), appears more selectively throughout the communication, establishing a dialogue between vernacular and editorial references.

Boteco da Manu does not conceal the kitchen, the refrigerator, or the beverage crates. The identity reflects this openness, drawing on references that move between the everyday and the theatrical. A place of exchange and hospitality, where drama and conviviality share the same table.

Front cover

You’ve Got to Believe in Something is the third album by the American rock band Spin Doctors. Art direction and design are credited to Chika Azuma. The cover photo is by Richard Samuel Roberts.

On the front cover, the band’s name uses OPTI Grant Rustic, Castcraft’s digitization of Grant No. 2. The c has been modified, presumably because the original looked too much like a G, and the final s is a reversed capital S. The album title uses all-caps Antique No. 14.

The text on the back cover and disc label is mainly hand-written, but some legal text and serial numbers have been added using FF Justlefthand.

[More info on Discogs]

Back cover

Disc

Studio Hagen Hall is an architecture, interiors, furniture and product design studio based in East London. The website keeps its structure spare, using large-format project photography and minimal navigation to foreground the studio’s work rather than explain it at length.

A compact press section links recent projects to coverage in Wallpaper*, Architectural Digest, Dezeen, Elle Decoration, House & Garden, Yellowtrace, The Modern House and Dwell, giving the site the feel of a tightly edited portfolio rather than a conventional agency website.

The website uses Store Norske Jazz from Skriftkompani. The logo is based on f:Ruder-Schrift@.

Hotel Ziggy is a boutique hotel in West Hollywood. Its brand thrives on unpretentious rebellion, capturing the counter-culture grit and rock-and-roll history of Sunset Strip.

The branding by FINE Design leans heavily into socialization, highlighted by West Hollywood’s largest saltwater pool, DJ sets, and the rock-inspired B-Side Pizza joint. The logotype uses Molenilo, with modified glyphs for G and Y. The supporting sans is Halis Grotesque.

The script on the compact disc uses Amithen.

Penguin’s first paperback edition of Ulysses, published as Modern Classics 3000.

Mike Dempsey comments:

Penguin’s master typographer Hans Schmoller (1916–1985) designed this elegant cover in 1969 [1968]. Selecting the perfect typeface Spectrum, modifying the capital letters and arranging it perfectly on the blackest of backgrounds, making the result timeless and beautiful.

The interior – starting with a short bio of Joyce – is set in Plantin.

The open caps on the title page aren’t from Jan van Krimpen’s Open Kapitalen as one might expect. Instead, they are from Max Caflisch’s similar Columna, here used with an alternate Y.

The back cover has a drawing of James Joyce by Augustus John.

Donnie Darko is a psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze and Noah Wyle,

From IMDb:

The original poster art for the movie had used an Arabic-style font, but this was changed to the more common Trajan typeface for the video release, after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. However, the font retains its original style in the movie.

The typeface in question isn’t Arabic, just calligraphic. Ondine was created by Swiss type designer Adrian Frutiger while working for Deberny & Peignot in Paris, France. It’s here used with enlarged, squeezed and slightly rotated lowercase d’s for the initials. The contours of the letterforms – originally cut with scissors – were roughened up.

In 2024, TT Commons Pro became the new corporate font for Kiwitaxi.

Kiwitaxi is an international service for booking private transfers online in advance, primarily from airports and between cities. TT Commons Pro maintains a consistent style across different languages and formats, ensuring the brand looks equally confident across all mediums.

The logotype uses something else, possibly a modified Axiforma.

Champ (by Typeverything) is used in Infinito’s branding fo Casino Galletas to reflect the brand’s playful, youthful spirit. With a 34-year history and a constantly evolving audience, the typeface helps give the brand a bold, expressive voice across messaging, patterns, and product naming, connecting authentically with a modern, diverse audience.

Dutch sticker from around 1980, advertising “Stabil Oil for active motors”, using Letraset’s adaptation of Dynamo (1930). The letter I was sliced, turning its semi-seriffed top into a dot.

The L-1011 TriStar was an early American wide-body, trijet civil passenger airliner designed and manufactured by Lockheed Corporation. Introduced in 1972 with launch customers Eastern Airlines and Trans World Airlines (TWA), the L-1011 was produced until 1983 and flown by major carriers around the world through the 1990s.

Shown here in manufacturer livery, the empennage uses Motter Tektura (with custom capitals) to indicate the marketing name of the aircraft. A bold Eurostile marks the manufacturer and model number on the fuselage (and probably the smaller registration indication, as well).