In 2021, The New York Film Festival returned for the first time since the pandemic, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Welcoming film critics and fans alike with in-person screenings, talkbacks, and interviews (after a fully digital experience in 2020), the festival brought together cinemaphiles around the globe to celebrate an award-nominated slate of the latest and greatest films from beloved actors and directors.

To celebrate this exciting return to the physical theatre experience, the identity for the 59th NYFF celebrates the physicality and nostalgia of the cinema experience. Drawing from ephemeral retro ticket stubs and movie theater marquees, the identity system is an homage to moviegoing itself.

Drawing from the pastiche of typefaces, textures, overprinting, perforations, and punches in 1950s ticket stubs, the branding incorporates a vibrant and tactile feel. The primary typeface is International Pro, a nod to the diverse selection of films and creatives at the festival, supported by a dramatic range of supporting typefaces by Swiss foundry Newglyph.

A grid was devised, dividing the posters into thirds, modeled after the segments of a ticket, highlighting an image still from the film.