Woodstock movie posters

Warner Brothers. License: All Rights Reserved.

What typefaces were used for the Woodstock movie posters? The answer appears to be simple: It'sBurko, designed sometime before 1969. The poster was released by Warner Brothers in 1970. But … wait. A closer look reveals that 'a', 'y', 'm', 'n' as well as '3' are off. The various outstanding s-ligatures are remarkable, too. Are they custom? Or were there alternates?

At first glance the German version of the poster adapted the typeface, but with shortened ascenders. Also, the 'es' pair isn't that pretty. The figure '3' was taken from Futura, which was also used for the footer. Furthermore, 'f', 'g', 'l' and maybe other letters are modified Burko.

Improvisation, handmade and a peaceful coexistence are three keywords that could describe both the "3 days of peace, music and love" and the typography of these movie posters (and the strange photomontage of the crowd too).

Warner Brothers. License: All Rights Reserved.

License: All Rights Reserved.