Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby

In August 2024, Picador started publishing a series with paperback reissues of books by Tom Wolfe (1930–2018). The cover designs are by Alex Merto, with illustrations by Seymour Chwast. In LitHub’s rundown of The 167 Best Book Covers of 2024, Linda Huang – herself an accomplished book cover designer – comments:

Of course the legendary Seymour Chwast was the perfect illustrator for these reissues, but I’d like to also call attention to Alex’s design system–from the wry typeface to the clean, horizontal rules. They feel fresh and frame the illustrations into collectable classics.

The font in use is the Condensed Light style of VC Henrietta. Kyle Benson’s revival and expansion of the phototype-era Henrietta was started in 2022. The wonky sans used for smaller text is by the same designer: it’s Nudge, which started out as a digitization of hand-cut vinyl letters spotted on a dog defecation sign at Silver Lake Reservoir in L.A. Both typefaces are available from Future Fonts and also directly from Benson’s Very Cool.

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Pump House Gang

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Painted Word

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Right Stuff

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

In Our Time

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

From Bauhaus to Our House

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Purple Decades

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

The Bonfire of the Vanities

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

Hooking Up

Source: us.macmillan.com Picador. License: All Rights Reserved.

I Am Charlotte Simmons

Blank Design Studio has crafted the brand identity for Cannaheal Cannabis Projects, a Canadian company specializing in the sales and promotion of cannabis products.

The visual identity incorporates friendly illustrations by Luís F. Cavalcanti and a nicely selected color palette. It features three distinct typefaces: VC Henrietta for the logotype, JAF Lapture for display text, and Gantari for smaller text elements.

Through an integrated and holistic approach, Sunday Wellness addresses chronic health issues through lifestyle and diet choices. Focusing on the root cause, Sunday aims to establish routines and practices that promote long-term health, healing, and wellness.

The logotype was built from VC Henrietta Condensed, a chunky serif typeface that takes inspiration from the legendary Cooper Black. VC Henrietta is also used as the display typeface, supported by Mori.

Read and see more in the case study.

Source: de.shop.eatplanted.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Homepage detail (German)

Planted is a producer of “plant-based meat from alternative proteins, focusing on the perfect bite with only natural ingredients and no additives.” Established in July 2019 and headquartered in Kemptthal near Zurich, the company currently distributes their products in Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In June 2022, Planted launched a fresh visual identity that makes bold use of VC Henrietta. Kyle Benson’s revival and extension of an uncredited phototype-era design is used in several styles from both the regular-wide and the newly added condensed widths. The Future Fonts release – at the time of writing still work in progress at v0.5 – can already be seen on the bilingual German-market website, the Instagram account, and in advertising. In some parts of the website, the typography is a little unpolished around the edges, with giant font sizes and too little margins, straight quotes, and potentially problematic color combos like green-on-purple text. Then again, this rough in-your-face look underpins the brand’s message that there are more important things to worry about, like animal welfare and saving the planet.

Coincidence has it that VC Henrietta was also chosen for the Berlin 2030 klimaneutral campaign which is likewise concerned with ecology and, like Planted, is quite visible in Berlin’s cityscape (see the billboard further below). On a personal note, and for full disclosure: I was my pleasure to provide Kyle of Very Cool with scans of the original Henrietta from a 1980s specimen (Stephen did so, too). It’s amazing to see the letterfoms come to new life just a couple of months later, in close proximity to the place where I made those scans, returning from Oakland, California, where Kyle is working on his interpretation.

Source: de.shop.eatplanted.com License: All Rights Reserved.

About page

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Billboard in Berlin-Kreuzberg

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Kebab mit ohne alles – comedian Oliver Polak is “posing on the platform eating planted.kebab, encouraging and spreading the word for naturalness and body positivity.”

Source: de.shop.eatplanted.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Homepage detail (English)

Source: de.shop.eatplanted.com License: All Rights Reserved.

News section of the website

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Berlin plans to become climate-neutral by the year 2045 and hasn’t articulated any concrete measures for reaching that goal yet. That’s too little, too late. “Berlin 2030 klimaneutral” aims for more. The central demand is that Berlin pledges to achieve net zero emissions already in 2030 – of all greenhouse gases, and not just of carbon dioxide. The initiative calls for legally binding commitments. Furthermore, the implementation should take social justice into account and prioritize reduction over compensation.

Communication and design studio aufsiemitgebrüll worked on the strategy and visual identity for the initiative. The key visual shows a pencil dingbat dealing a blow to a fire, symbolizing that civic participation can help tackling the climate catastrophe, even if it’s as seemingly insignificant as signing a petition. The message “Es ist nicht zu spät” exudes confidence. From aufsiemitgebrüll (translated):

Climate change and its catastrophic consequences leave many people feeling powerless. The awareness that the fight for the climate is a marathon and not a sprint demotivates many people. In response to this feeling of crisis fatigue, we call out to the climate friends of Berlin with a feisty grin and bright eyes: IT IS NOT TOO LATE!

The typographic voice of “Berlin 2030 klimaneutral” is VC Henrietta, and more specifically, mostly the bold weights from its condensed range. Designed by Kyle Benson of Very Cool, these were made available via Future Fonts only in June 2022. For text, Henrietta is supported by Nudge, another Future Fonts release by Benson.

All materials from poster and flags to the website are in red and green. While this color combo is striking, there’s a reason for why it’s not used more often: quite a lot of people, especially among males, suffer from red–green color blindness. Luckily, the color choice didn’t hamper the campaign’s success. Last week, it was revealed that 261,968 Berliners signed the petition – much more than the required seven percent of the electorate – clearing the way for a referendum in early 2023.

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: aufsiemitgebruell.de aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.berlin2030.org aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: www.berlin2030.org aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

One of the examples of regular-wide Henrietta on a social media card

Source: www.berlin2030.org aufsiemitgebrüll. License: All Rights Reserved.

New brand identity and product labels for SoSS, a hot sauce company based in Charlottesville, VA. The logo, brand identity, and core product labels were designed by West Virginia-based design studio Big Fog. Label illustrations for Reaper's Blush and Watermelon Dragon by Alex Luciano and Meel Tamphanon, respectively.

The SoSS logotype is a customized Zoo Condensed with thicker thin strokes, softer corners, and stylized strokes under the O. The brand identity utilizes VC Henrietta for display and headlines, Swear Medium for subheadlines, and Degular as a supporting text face.