We're New Yorkers, so naturally we always feel a bit out of our element working on the Boston capsule each year. Someone aptly commented on our latest IG post, "This is like the yankees selling Red Sox merch." Not wrong, not unfair. We've tried fitting in ('23), that felt a bit off. We've tried bringing NYC to Boston ('24), that wasn't quite right either. So in 2025, we stayed focused on what we know best—creating original artwork inspired by the worlds of art, architecture, and design to bring forth something fresh and unique.
Let's get into it...
Color:
We see your blue and yellow and we raise you... something entirely different. Our tried and true principle of color tension. Playing with a deep hue of port and the softness of lilac against punctuations of chartreuse. This tension speaks to the extreme discomfort of the marathon and our "down-bad" love for running.
Graphics:
Given Boston's qualifying nature, runners fortunate enough to take part are usually there to really race. For graphics, we wanted to play on racing's traditional bold visual language in the treatment of type ("Down Bad", "Boston", "Bandit"). The subtle italicized striation nods to the unrelenting rolling elevation of the Boston course.
Print:
Color and graphic sit on top of a print to create a dynamic foundation for the former elements to harmonize with. For the print, we took inspiration from city-grid artwork and distorted it with undulations reminiscent of the marathon's grueling hills.
Copy:
You've heard of double entendres, but have you ever heard of triple entendres? "Down Bad" means a few things to us... First, when we are down bad for something, we're in love with it. Boston, probably more than any Major (controversial) has runners in an obsessive trance with qualifying for and running it. And on the other hand, down-bad means getting crushed... Which brings us to the third meaning: those damn downhills. Sure going up is hard, but nothing hammers the quads quite like trying to slow yourself down. And while we're at it, "It's all downhill from here." Still up for debate... does that mean it's getting easier or harder? Who's to say!
