Max Löffler interprets the anxieties and worries of modern life in his gloomy zine

German illustrator Max Löffler’s project Daymare Boogie is “an attempt to understand and grasp this raging current called modern life”. Addressing our imperfections and the anxieties faced by all, the black and white zine looks at the issues surrounding individuals in society. “The idea derives from a project I did before called Psychic Vault. It was about subconscious memory and I had a lot more ideas that would fit in the zine, so I just kept on illustrating,” explains Max. “When I had a decent amount, I stumbled upon 100for10 by Melville Brand Design, which is an artist book project with each book consisting of 100 black and white pages available to buy for 10€. I contacted them and started to work on the illustrations so that they would fit in the concept of Daymare Boogie.”

Max’s images play with light and shadow and have an air-brushed effect, which adds depth. The style developed from the illustrator wanting a new challenge from his usual approach. “I restricted myself by using the computer mouse and rough splatter Photoshop brushes for loosening up. I tried a lot and came across a style which is a pretty nice mixture of these loose experiments and my detailed stippling and hatching techniques,” explains Max. Sticking to a colour palette of black and white to helps emphasise the ominous atmosphere but also allows the contrasts in Max’s illustrations to stand out.

Describing his work as gloomy, quirky and surrealistic, there are some more humorous, light-hearted elements like eyes for snooker balls and silly faces on inanimate objects in some images, which adds another layer to the zine. “When it comes to visual language, I would clearly name Magritte as my biggest inspiration, as well as Arnold Böcklin, and for his mystic sceneries I really enjoy the sublime worlds of Kilian Eng,” he says.

“I’d be more than happy if I can just get people to think,” Max says of his intentions for the zine. “If people can dive into and identify with the vibe of the book taking a second to step back and give a thought to something that would be nice.”