When Rockstar Games released GTA Online in 2013, carnage ensued. The open-world game, opened further to the interactions of players, has been an enduring hit ever since, prompting Rockstar to release regular updates. In summer 2020, they released the Los Santos Summer Special, providing new missions, vehicles, play modes, and a race track creator.
The Grand Theft Auto series of sandbox games/bad behaviour simulators has featured in almost every gamer’s library since 1997. It’s the fourth best selling series of all time—Mario, Pokemon, and Tetris have all sold more, but none have racked up GTA’s property damage. The wide-open worlds, anything-goes play, witty writing, and style that references classic films have provided hours of fun for bored people who wish their lives were more like Casino or Menace II Society.
The referential style of a game channelling movies channelling the 1990s, calls for quality type. That’s why Rockstar used BLKBK’s High Voltage for the Los Santos Summer Special font. This font is BLKBK channelling the 1980s channelling the 1950s, in the form of neon signs. To emulate the round look and energy of hand-bent tubes of glass lit by plasma, we hand wrote the type with a round-tipped marker and put it on the computer. The result is a lively and retro-feeling font with the consistent line weight, suitable for any logo between Whisky a Go Go and Hawthorn Grill.