Co-Founder · Creative Director · Designer
We wanted to create something that felt steeped in tradition but also new and unexpected.
This is how we developed what we came to refer to as the ‘half-slab,’ or characters with both slab and sans serif sensibilities.
We find monospaced fonts to be fascinating in how they were customary on typewriters.
We chose a rich forest green to complement a soothing sage green... then wanted to inject some energy and excitement into the brand with an electric green.
The inspiration for this project came about after I had stumbled across a group of skateboarders on the streets of Tribeca while perusing Google Earth for some forgotten reason. The carefree and rebellious nature of this large posse of kids simultaneously sparked a memory of both my youth, as well as my love for the foreign land that is New York.
The Brand Identity interviews Los Angeles-based studio Forth + Back as they celebrate their five-year anniversary with a new brand refresh and website. Founders Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury reflect on their growth, key projects, and lessons learned, including collaborations with Smirnoff, The Athletic, and UCR Arts. The duo discuss the evolving design landscape, their approach to process, and upcoming typeface releases.
Forth + Back created the identity for Craft Boxing’s first apparel collection, Rhythm Season, inspired by the intersection of jazz culture and boxing. The design combines monospaced typography, hand-rendered illustrations, and a vibrant yet balanced color palette referencing classic jazz album art. The result is a rhythmic, expressive visual system that bridges tradition and modernity.
The Brand Identity interviews Los Angeles-based studio Forth + Back about their two self-initiated print projects, SPIRAL and Dreams of New York. The conversation explores their creative process, production challenges, and conceptual approach to blending sports, culture, and visual storytelling. The studio reflects on balancing commissioned work with passion projects and hints at future editorial endeavors.
The Brand Identity features Forth + Back’s rebrand for California-based film and television studio Farm League. The identity blends athletic inspiration with digital sensibilities, using custom typography and a vibrant green palette to reflect the studio’s energetic, collaborative spirit. Creative Director Tanner Woodbury describes the design as a balance between tradition and innovation.
The Brand Identity features Forth + Back’s design for SPIRAL, an annual publication founded by Shawn Ghassemitari that explores the culture surrounding American football. The Los Angeles studio created the magazine’s identity, editorial layout, and promotional materials, using bold typography and a vivid orange accent to reflect the sport’s energy. The first issue, themed 'Tribalism,' includes illustrations by Nathan Bell and a mix of typefaces from Matt Willey, Radim Pesko, Karl Nawrot, and Pangram Pangram Foundry.
California-based studio Forth + Back created 'Dreams of New York,' a coffee table book documenting their fascination with New York City through images captured from Google Earth. The project collects 166 frozen moments of city life over three years, forming a surreal visual time capsule. Founder Tanner Woodbury describes the work as a reflection of nostalgia and curiosity for the city’s everyday scenes.