“Spicy Boyfriend” – Shawn Wasabi cover art

Cover art for Shawn Wasabi’s single Spicy Boyfriend. I was a little worried my goofy smiley-face idea wouldn’t be a huge hit with Shawn, but he loved it right away. Great dude.

Looking for something simple enough to fit the utilitarian/neu-grunge/industrial look I had in mind, but not Helvetica or a more conventional sans, I decided on the brand-new Apfel Grotezk, designed by Luigi Gorlero for Collletttivo (I added serifs to the I’s on the title, and of course rounded & distressed the type all over).

Apfel has a great sense of geometric-sans readability but avoids the sort of tech-startup soullessness so many modern geometric sans end up sharing. It’s definitely going to be a regular player in my future work.