ESSAY

'Advertising Doesn’t Sell Things; All Advertising Does Is Change How People Think Or Feel' (Jeremy Bullmore).

Evaluate This Statement With Reference To Selected Critical Theories (Past Or Present).

Advertising is the backbone of industry, without advertising there are no businesses; it is the key to success. But this statement from Bullmore makes us question the façade of advertising, what is hiding beneath the surface and the truthful aims of the company. Adverts are renowned for the over exaggeration of a product and usually the positive effects it would have on ones life. Despite many people being aware of the lies and common deceit within this form of communication they are still often subconsciously being convinced that not only do they want the product but that their lives would be greatly and undoubtedly improved by it, creating the need to obtain this. The context of advertising continually changes, particularly through the media in which we see it today. The creation of online social media has allowed companies to direct their advertisements at very specific audiences, this also happens with TV commercials as companies can choose the channel and time of day allowing them to have maximum control as to who is influenced by their advertisement. It is no secret that provoking the feelings of the audience and manipulating them into thinking or believing in an idea is the key to selling your product.

I believe that companies use sex as their key selling point in the majority of advertisements, however this is not just in todays’ industry, this is a technique that has been around for decades. It is clear that sex sells, we see advertisements all around us on TV, on the streets, on billboards and in other forms of communication. ‘Publicity increasingly uses sexuality to sell any product or service. But this sexuality is never free in itself; it is a symbol for something presumed to be larger than it: the good life in which you can buy whatever you want.’ (Berger, 2008) Berger picks up on how sex is used as a comparison to the product, suggesting that the product has a strong relation to sexual behavior and therefore draws the audience in through a seductive skill to suggest that the product itself is better than sex. We have become so accustomed to seeing women and men with clothes removed or laid in a seductive manor that we no longer look at it as the exploitation of people and an inappropriate way to sell a product. But has it ever been seen as inappropriate?

At the height of sexism against women in the 1940’s, using women to be ridiculed was enhanced by the technique of them being naked or luring in some form. They were used as sex objects and their only place was in the kitchen or the bedroom, as was shown by the constant flow of advertisements for household products followed by the stereotypical male chauvinistic comment placed above a beautiful woman. The influence of the war I believe had a strong impact on this type of advertising; men were sent to war and this image of the men fighting for their country lead people to perceiving them as heroes. Whether this inflated their egos or whether treating women this way was something seen as natural to them I cannot be sure of, but I believe this had an impact on them feeling far more superior to females. As we can see in fig.1 this is a great example of how a naked woman has been strategically placed just behind the product being sold. To the audience they relate buying this product with the image of the woman in the forefront of their mind; this convinces them that they need this product rather than that they want it. This was an ad for Weyenburg shoes yet the first thing we notice is that the text isn’t related to the product but to the keeping of the woman behind. ‘Weyenburg defended protests with this official statement: Weyenburg is taking the first positive stand for masculinity…against the influences of the women’s liberation movement‘ (Rodnitzky, 1999) This shows that the company knew what type of message this gives out and weren’t oblivious as to the exploitation of females. This contradicts Bullmores’ statement however as advertising this figure is selling the product just in a way that pushes subliminal messages forward strongly.

‘People who criticize advertising in its current form argue that advertisements create false wants and encourage the production and consumption of things that are incompatible with the fulfillment and of genuine and urgent human needs.’ (Dyer, 2008) If companies created simple advertisements that solely showed their product it is clear now that they would be highly unsuccessful. The main reason for this is that when selling a product thy have to sell something with it, the lifestyle. Since the birth of advertising there is one key element that runs throughout the majority of posters, campaigns and anything directed at selling a product and that is the false sense of security the audience is lulled into. They believe that by buying the product they are also buying into a particular lifestyle, a convincing example of this is shown in many of, if not all, Gucci’s adverts, fig.2. This male figure demonstrates the utmost of dominance and control here, he is laid back and relaxed and has a beautiful woman sprawled over his lap. His body language speaks volumes, he is sat comfortable looking at the camera in a fairly confident manner, the position of his hand shows control and superiority over the woman he seems to ‘own.’ Again I question, when will this be an advertising technique of the past? Never. Even more so today women accept this without a second thought, it isn’t something that raises concern when they see this in a magazine or a billboard because it is seen so often and is a constant theme running through everything we see or do.

On top of all this it is successful and therefore large companies have no reason to find a new way to sell products that would have this same effect. When we look at the male model in fig.2 he is dressed smartly in a crisp, clean suit, this has strong connotations of class, sophistication and wealth. He looks good, he dresses well and he has a woman under his control, it is the lifestyle that appeals to the audience here. Obviously the audience is directed predominantly at men, and they feel that by buying this product they are buying into the lifestyle they can see in front of them. It becomes a vicious circle when the consumer realizes that this product hasn’t achieved what they thought, they then continue to buy other products in a desperate attempt to achieve the lifestyle portrayed in these unrealistic advertisements. Again this contradicts Bullmore strongly, it shows that there is a constant cycle of people that fall for the false advertising of a ‘perfect’ lifestyle that is highly related to the product. ‘The philosophy behind much advertising is based on the old observation that every man is really two men: the man he is and the man he wants to be. – William Feather’ (Murphy, 1978). I agree with this statement wholly, I believe that every person sets fairly unrealistic expectations of their life and becomes disappointed when their expectations aren’t met. This leads to them searching for what they think will make them happier and improve their lifestyle, a perfect gap for the market to heavily influence people with products that they are told are the key to gaining what they want in life.

The constant need to find something to make the life of the consumer feel more fulfilled is present in men and women, the unrealistic scenarios seen in advertising make them feel unsatisfied and as though their life doesn’t compare. They are made to feel as if something is missing, that they lead an uninteresting boring life and most of all that they are ugly. Feeling inferior to the precisely selected models in these campaigns is a given, the consumer looks at them with jealousy as they seem to have everything; the looks and the perfect lifestyle, usually the perfect relationship also. All these things are hard to achieve and we each have our own idea of what is classed as the best, yet everyone seems to spot something in this world of advertising that they don’t have, but that they need.

Predominantly girls feel the strain more than men, the models they see with great figures are only something they can dream of looking like, this lowers self esteem and confidence in what they look like due to the unrealistic and usually edited models. Through a study done in 1994 ‘Sociocultural factors are thought to play a central role in the promotion and maintenance of eating disorders’…’Results indicated that exposure to the thin-ideal model produced depression, stress, guilt, shame, insecurity and body dissatisfaction.’ (Stice, E, Shaw, H 1994) This seems to agree with Bullmore in terms of that an advertisement doesn’t sell; it just changes how the consumer feels. However it never makes the consumer feel happy or enlightened by an advertisement, it makes them feel unworthy and of lower importance. As a result of feeling this lesser, more insignificant person they reach out to follow the ad and what they recommend, this always being that they buy the product to gain a better quality of life.

Reification comes naturally when advertising a product that is merely an object, this object now becomes a person, and it can be described using objectives that would only be used to describe a living thing. ‘The concept of reification is used by Marx to describe a form of social consciousness in which human relations come to be identified with the physical properties of things, thereby acquiring an appearance of naturalness and inevitability.’ (Burris, V. 1988) Not only is it impossible that a perfume could be ‘sexy’ or ‘inviting’ but it is an impossible feat for it to turn a person so drastically just by wearing it into something that they most desire. Companies use positive objectives to describe in depth the product and when the consumer hears or reads these words they are usually words that we all aspire to describe ourselves by. We, as the target audience find ourselves comparing our qualities to that of an object, on paper this seems absurd but in reality we do it subconsciously day in day out in a state of envy on a different level.

The aim of publicity is to make a product known to as many as possible, not only the target audience but also those who could be attracted to a product through the way it is advertised rather than taste or like towards it. Advertising is a huge industry and one that we will always be surrounded by, the key techniques have been pin pointed and there is no reason to stray from these despite the negative influences it can have on people personally. Companies are greedy for money and are willing to stretch to these lengths of putting people down emotionally as long as it gets their product sold in mass numbers. Some people may argue that the advertising world we know today is only echoing what we already know about society. We already know that people like to set goals and aim higher, improve their physical appearance so why not produce campaigns that focus on making them strive to be better? Could this be a positive way of making people sit up and realize they could be a better version of themselves, whether it is healthier or just to feel better about how they look? As a society we are also aware of the fixation of our body shapes, the desperate attempts to have a perfect body and the amount of extreme diets available being a direct reflection of the media we are already exposed to. Companies use this when designing a product to get a head start before the campaign is even released or designed, ‘Nina’ by Nina Ricci is a perfume bottle in the shape of an apple, this is by no means coincidence but a subliminal message to the audience that has connotations of being healthy and active. Jean Paul Gautier releases each of its perfumes in a bottle that is in the shape of a very slender woman with curves for the female line and a muscular torso shaped bottle for the mens line. We each notice this when we look at the bottle, but myself included, we don’t realize that we are thinking of our own body shape when we see this and making a mental comparison. This in effect makes us long for this figure and relate the bottle of perfume to having this type of body or maybe smell like someone who has that figure.

‘Madison Avenue’s new interest in consumers’ subconscious was thus of deep concern, to say the least, with admen’s potential ability to make people buy things they didn’t really want or need or, much worse elect Soviet sympathizers into office, a nightmare of epic proportions.’ (Samuel, L, 2011)) It became clear very quickly how the advertising world had such a hold over the consumerist market when techniques had been perfected into convincing people to almost buy anything. This became more than worrying regarding political concern; they had more of a challenge on their hands to bring a credible visual campaign to the table. Not only was this a concern but so was the great scale of effect that the media now had, they influenced each and every single one of us whether we liked it or not. They have great control over the decisions we make and this could lead to potentially devastating results, it feels almost as though they can compel the public to get their own way and depending on the morals and ethics of the company this could be harmful to individuals, society and culture.

Many celebrities are used in advertising surrounding us daily, celebrities are linked to what they are famous for, whether it be an actor, an athlete or any other profession they are all credited for being excellent in their occupation. Excellence is something we all strive to achieve and we look up to people who have made it so famous from their career because of the talent displayed. Using a celebrity figure not only attracts new customers but also builds awareness of a brand; it becomes far better known and written about. The public looks at these celebrities advertising a product and come to the conclusion ‘if it’s good enough for her, its good enough for me.’ Again this pushes sales higher as people feel this product is now more legitimate now it is being sold by someone who is highly regarded and well known. ‘Celebrity endorsed advertising is not a recent phenomenon, but is experiencing a worldwide resurgence in recent times. Its emergence and popularity is related to the evolution of consumer culture and celebrity culture in tandem with economic growth and development of an advertising industry in a society.’ (Sun, Z 2008) As the advertising industry grows and develops the celebrity endorsements alter and change in conjunction with this. Particularly recently during the recession we have noticed celebrities now selling offers and deals to promote products and get the consumer to spend what very little money they have left on their product, to make them feel that it is a necessity and worth what they have.

It is clear that advertising is part of our society and the world in which we live, we see it constantly and it has become part of our daily routine to take in the messages and constant flow of recommended products that supposedly improve our well being. Referring back to Bullmores’ thesis that 'Advertising Doesn’t Sell Things; All Advertising Does Is Change How People Think Or Feel' (Jeremy Bullmore). I believe that advertising changes the way people think or feel dramatically, that is the main aim to convince and manipulate how they view a product and see it only in a way that it would benefit them once they have purchased it. Each advert persuades the public in a slightly different ways, some use celebrities, reification, twisting of the truth and many other forms, but their ultimate goal is always the same, money is their concern so sales need to be as high as possible no matter what technique is present. It becomes complex and difficult to sell a product today, it never has been a case of just selling the product; a fantasy lifestyle and unrealistic goals are sold with it, which is what the audience is predominantly buying into. To conclude, advertising does indeed change the way that we think and feel but by doing this it is shaping us to believe that we need the product, therefore resulting in us as the consumer buying the lies and the product.

(fig.2)

(fig.1)

Bibliography

Berger, J (2008). Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin. p-.

Burris, V. (1988). Reification: A Marxist Perspective. California Sociologist. 10 (1), p22.

Dyer, G (2008). Advertising as Communication. London: Routledge . p2.

Eric Stice and Heather E. Shaw (1994). Adverse Effects of the Media Portrayed Thin-Ideal on Women and Linkages to Bulimic Symptomatology. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 288-308.

Rodnitzky, J (1999). Feminist Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of a Feminist Counterculture. Connecticut : Greenwood Publishing Group. p113.

Samuel, L (2011). Freud on Madison Avenue: Motivation Research and Subliminal Advertising in America. Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press. p12.

Sun, Z (2009). Celebrities, Products, and Presentation Styles: A Content Analysis of Celebrity-endorsed TV Commercials in China. China: ProQuest. p4.

William Feather, quoted in Edward F. Murphy, (1978) The Crown Treasury of Relevant Quotations, New York: Crown Publishers, p. 15.

Lecture 4 - Illustration

From this lecture the one thing I really picked up on was the work of Chris Ware, I really like the 'Building Stories' collection. Really simple illustration can be just as effective as those in great detail, the simple colours work really well and the grid system keeps it easy to read.

Studio Brief 2 - Communication is a virus

From my research I have found that to make something go viral it has to be something that will effect most people, whether it is to shock them, surprise them or make them laugh it needs to have a strong impact, strong enough for them to pass on the message. Ads or other content usually goes viral through social media in the form of a video, but it can also be a tweet, status, photo or many other forms of communication.

One of the main features I noticed of campaigns or ads that went viral was that a lot of them tended to have an interactive feature. This one in particular is very hands on and is entertaining at the same time allowing you to create your own character it makes the audience feel as though they are involved. They are able to be creative and create a character, this is an exciting process and appeals to all age ranges, maybe not the elderly but certainly adults and children, mostly men.

This clever viral ad video made for the release and promotion of paranormal activity was extremely successful and was the main reason why the film became so popular. The trailer of the movie was key to making this work though, it had to be dramatic and enticing to make the viewers want to 'demand it.' This goes to show how working a small budget can go a long way if your ad campaign is strong enough, the petition they created is also a great idea to push things forward and to show the high demand.  

This type of viral exposure is more of an example of how to keep the customers coming back but also to intrigue other possible customers. This airline that gave gifts to its passengers put a lot of time and effort into looking on their twitters to find out their likes and dislikes. This made the present they were given really personal instead of just a generic free complimentary gift. I think that this leaves much more a lasting impression on the customers and is something that would attract others fairly quickly. It stayed in my mind because I thought it was almost slightly creepy that they looked into social media but I guess it would be appealing for those in recipient of the gifts. 

Not long ago I experienced the effects of this ad, it really shocked me and stayed in my mind up until this point. The fact that it is so disturbing makes it resonate in the back of your mind and you start to really understand the message they are trying to communicate. Because the message is quite dark and scary and makes you reinforce the security on social network sites the title and front of the campaign is quite light hearted and the sinister feel isn't noticed until the video gets going. This almost lures in the audience with a false sense of security almost like the message that they are trying to bring across.     

This is one of my favourite viral ad campaigns, I find that I am more drawn to the funnier side of viral campaigns, they stick with me longer and I am more likely to pass them on or share them on social networks. This cartoon song and video is colourful and amusing to watch with humour and a catchy song, its a repetitive song and one that seems to stick in your head. It gets across the message in a humorous way and I find that this is just as effective as the serious campaigns that are dark and disturbing.

In light of our first idea of an exercise day for young children I looked into flash mobs and found that this can be really fun and look amazing if planned out correctly. This one was done in an airport and was advertising an airline, however the only reason I knew this was advertising an airport is because it is written on the video, I think it could have been made more obvious somehow, maybe by creating their own song. 

Fashion is another way to make something spread so that it becomes viral, a few years ago it became the height of fashion when I was younger to wear these wristbands. To promote charities and campaigns was the main idea and so it spread nationally meaning so did word of the charity.

This is a brilliant viral video to promote a horror film in a way that includes humour and lightheartedness. The baby is extremely disturbing and could be key to a brilliant horrifying trailer or promotion, but instead they decided to make it central to a prank. It is the peoples reactions that I find the funniest, knowing what is going to happen and the suspense of watching how people react is what kept me intrigued. The only reason I knew it was for Devils Due was because of the last few seconds where it explained, however it didn't go into depth about the movie and this made me enquire about it further. 

This was personally one of my favourite viral videos, it was low in budget and required little interaction from the public just their reaction on camera. I think it was so successful because it was so well executed, it was good to see how they did it first so the audience almost felt like they were in on it, knowing what was coming. 

Again this Chucky viral promotional video shows how a low budget video can draw in thousands of people with just a short couple of minutes of film. This has a profound effect on the people who witness it, the smashing of the glass adds extra depth and convincing drama to scare them. Flashing the backlight first made the people stop to look at the photo so they were facing the right way just in time for the man to make his way through the poster. 

This one was a great idea but I think it could have been executed slightly better. To advertise The Walking Dead people were painted as zombies and were waiting in the underground grates, they then stuck their bloody mangled hands out near peoples feet in order to make them jump. I think this needed to be more dramatic however, it needed to make the public jump even more, the ratings on this are much lower than any other that I have looked at so far. I think it would have been more successful had they made the zombies all come flooding out of the gateways.

Studio Brief 3 - Posters

                    

My first point of research was to look at the movie posters that had already been designed for this movie and I was really relieved to see that none of them were particularly creative or memorable. I struggled to find the designers of the first two but I found that Eden Creative designed the bottom one, I believe this is the weakest design though as there is nothing striking and it feels quite dull and drab. In all honesty I wouldn't look twice at any of them, I don't feel like I am the target audience though so this is probably the reason why, I don't enjoy war films and I feel the posters are all quite masculine as I imagine that the film is too. I think that each of the poster designers has taken a very stereotypical and safe approach to this design, they have all used the same format and this has resulted in a similar design being created each time. Two images, a larger one in the top half and a more cryptic one below separated by text of some sort, whether it be the title or the actors names, I find them quite boring and mundane. If I were to pick my favourite one I would probable say it would be the top left image, it has more of an intriguing colour scheme, the blue brings energy to the layout and draws more attention from the audience.

As I did more research it turned out that all war films seemed to have pretty much the same guidelines when creating the movie poster. The same colour schemes, silhouettes and close ups of the key actors faces merged into a montage over three split sections. This format has been far too overused now, so much so that war film posters are not iconic but easily unnoticed, they do not have distinctive features but yet are highly recommended films themselves. 

RICHARD AMSEL

(Indiana Jones)

One of the main things I like about this poster is how textured the background looks, it makes the image feel more alive and less flat and 2D. I think it's important to either consider this approach or look at different stock to use so that the image becomes more realistic. Created in the 80's this poster has stood the test of time and is still one of the most popular ones today, but the question is, is that down to the design or the success of the film? I think it could be partially down to both, if this poster was created today it wouldn't fit in with the contemporary design that we have all become accustomed to. 

(The Sting)

On the contrary I think that if this poster was created for a modern film now it would attract some attention, it looks vintage in a way I think many would find appealing and has a nostalgic feel to the two characters present. The neutral palette is effective and is contrasted with small brighter areas to keep it alive and upbeat. In this case the image being the central focus fits in with the time and all the information surrounds the two people as a backup to the visual aspect. 

(The Seven Percent Solution)

This isn't the final poster for the film but I wanted to take a closer look at the artwork in particular done by Amsel, there is so much intricate detail contrasted well with a high amount of negative space around it allowing it to breathe and not become cluttered. The colours have a worn feel although they were much brighter but have faded over time, the rustic orange is warm and there are no harsh colours.

BILL GOLD

(My Fair Lady)

The cover of this film has a very feminine approach, there are a lot of pinks and reds used quite heavily suggesting connotations of romance and love. The typeface used is one I don't particularly like, it feels weird to try and read something that doesn't have uppercase at the beginning and lowercase for the rest of the letters. I'm not sure whether there is a reason behind this design choice but I feel it would have looked much nicer if a fat face font was used still but with correct grammar. 

(Cool Hand Luke)

The use of space is something I really like about this design, the white space allows the busy colour to not feel overcrowded or too busy. I'm not sure if I really like the combination of both photography and digital design put together here, it could have looked better had the mans face been created digitally also. I think the echo of the red silhouette of his face, this almost suggests of different sides to one person. 

(Dirty Harry)

I really like this poster for Dirty Harry, it looks like magenta, yellow and key were the three colours used maybe to represent a screen print although it looks digitally created. The shattered glass effect works well and adds a flat texture to what we see, it allows the image to flow into the white of the surrounding area by the white bullet whole and tie it all in together. I like the typography used, it almost looks too modern for the design but I think this shows that it has stood the test of time and still looks relevant to contemporary design. 

ALL CITY MEDIA

(The Guest)

When first looking at this poster to me it seemed as though the parts of the gun had been photographed and scanned in but the more I looked the more I began to question whether they had been created digitally. Either way they look really realistic and almost lifelike, this is enhanced by the deep shadow making them feel 3D and as if protruding out of the page. I think this is aimed more to men due to the use of guns and the colour scheme too, its quite dark and there are no bright or feminine colours, it suggests that it is an action/thriller film.

(Spike Island)

The first thing I thought when I saw this image is that there were too many colours used that didn't seem to correspond to each other. I think the outer of the triangle should have been the same colour as the red text used below. I like the black silhouettes of the two figures walking forwards, similar to other designs this makes it look more like it has a forefront allowing depth and a 3D perspective. I do think it was a good design choice to put the triangle in the centre, it feels quite well balanced and symmetrical, also reflected in the typography.

(The Moth Diaries)

From a personal view it is difficult for me to be engaged by this poster, this genre of film does not interest me, however from a design point of view it offers a lot to look at for a wide audience. The gradient of butterflies becoming less towards the right but the size of the objects increasing gives it an eerie sense of something looming closer. The use of just black and white and the sinister image of the woman all add to the deathly effect and hint towards the theme of the storyline. The typeface used is gothic and relevant to the image, the red here connotes death and blood, this is a good example of how a colour can be seen as one symbol in a certain context but when moved the connotations can be completely different. I really like the white space and the black typography small and in the top left. 

OLLY MOSS

(A Life Well Wasted)

From the designs I have looked at so far, the work of Olly Moss definitely is something that appeals to me the most. This movie poster is one of my favourites, the composition of how the curved shape transforms from an object then slowly transitions to becoming part of the foreground I find really interesting. The colours here work together really well, they are neither directed at females or males and the black looks really striking against the colours. The text is layer out really well too, the number 7 splits the two small columns up and it is all highly readable. 

(85th Oscars Awards)

I really like the theme of repetition here, the grid makes it seem really structured and easy to look at, it keeps it quite simple even though each of the images are slightly different it does not make it confusing. The bronze and black is a very sophisticated colour scheme and suggests regality and upperclass. This is also reflected in the typeface, it is thin and elegant and I believe it fits perfectly with the theme of the Oscars. 

(Optical Illusion)

The simplicity of this illusion makes it even more clever, we can see several things in the one image and this really captures the audiences attention as it tends to fascinate them. The lack of text works well as I feel that this image hints quite strongly at the themes of the film but also leaves the rest to be explored. The use of an off white works much better than just a bright white background, it allows the red to contrast nicely but not feel too harsh. This is a simple example of how two colours plus stock can sometimes work visually better than a complex several colour design.  

REYNOLD BROWN

(Attack of the 50 Foot Woman)

In 1958 when this poster was created I think it would have looked really impressive, I don't think it would be as effective today if it were created for a film but it would be interesting to see how some elements could be transferred to modern day posters. The brights yellow and red reminds me of pop art due to the high bold contrast. This is a contrast within itself of the small detailed illustration below, the use of hand drawn design is something really unique as we do not see it very often anymore.

(Tarzan)

As striking as this poster is, there is something about it that makes me feel that it does not quite look right. It feels like there are too many patterns and colours and typefaces being used making it difficult to look at and read. However the colour scheme of orange and green I think works perfectly, it reflects the jungle and the outdoors, this is kept to a minimal of colours and allows it to be a little less cluttered. 

(Mutiny on the Bounty)

I really like the nostalgic feel of this movie poster, I really feel it represents the times and looks really appealing visually. I like how the two images are split unequally, this shows an interesting balance and allows one big picture to capture the audience and a smaller one to give more detail. I like the typeface used but I don't like the layout of the text, I feel there should be more space between the two words, it feels too compressed which makes it harder to read than it should be. 

SAUL BASS

(Bonjour Tristesse)

I really think the design of this is so simple that it allows interpretation from several different angles, this is what I believe makes it so successful. One thing that I did notice straight away is that I really don't like the colours used, this may be personal preference but they just feel odd to look at for me, I would have much preferred to see two colours with a high contrast regarding the blue and green used. The black and white stand out well and I think that only the background needs to be changed. We immediately make the link between the love hearts in her eyes and the tear on her face and make the decision that it must be a romantic film. 

(Vertigo)

My first realisation once seeing this poster was that even though I hadn't seen the film, the design of the poster perfectly represented the title. The white spiral in the middle shows fine detail and a pleasing pattern in the centre, the black silhouette shows a high contrast in colour and a clear image of what the storyline could include. The typeface isn't in a set grid that has a firm structure, it is quite loose with where the baseline of each letter lies, this approach hints at twists and turns in the plot. Two colours plus stock looks like what has been created here if it were printed, this simple colour scheme works effectively and the high contrast of bright colour to white and black grabs the attention of the audience. 

(The Magnificent Seven)

The image on this design works really well but I feel that the text is lost, I believe that there should be white space but at the same time the text should be bigger and the eyes of the audience should flow from image to text. The two colours work together well, it reflects the simplicity of the design, little is given away by this image, it could either intrigue the audience or confuse them. 

'A few days ago, we tweeted a delightful what-if: Spanish digital creative Hexagonall‘s vision for what Tron and Lost opening sequences would’ve looked like if the iconic Saul Bass had designed them.

It gets better: Hexagonall has an entire poster series under the Tron vs. Saul Bassumbrella — and they’re all fantastic.'

I looked into more contemporary designs of old classics and came across these made by Hexagonall, a Spanish company, the colours of these posters are what drew me to them primarily. The colours are bright and welcoming and this really sets up the image background for the deep block, simple images overlaid on top. I really like the way the images are just made out of simple shapes, there is no detail and block colour is used, this creates guidelines for each one that are simple and easy to follow allowing a high level of consistency. 

These are some more designs done by Olly Moss that I much prefer to his previous designs I looked at, they are much cleaner and concise, they look well as a set but also when standing alone. The bright contrast of black and red with a slight hint of white is bold and predominantly follows the same theme throughout. I like the simple format and composition, there is no complex grid with lots of split sections it is a simple layout in each design.

Nick Tassone has recreated his favourite ten Stephen King films in a way that I find is visually appealing and one of my more preferred set of contemporary designs. The colours really attracted me initially, it is quite feminine however and this could restrict the audience aimed at. The pink does not really have a connection to the genre or story lines of the films but I think that it has become too stereotypical for these types of horror films to be red/khaki and black. 

King, E (2003). Movie Poster. London: Mitchell Beazley. p-.

Black and white makes this film poster seem quite authentic and sophisticated. The black and white photograph provokes a feeling of nostalgia even though we do not know these people it has strong connotations of memories of previous times, the black and white suggests that it is old. 

Designed by Robin Ray in the 1960's this film poster for Barbarella perfectly represents the psychedelia and 'trippy' aesthetics that were probably experienced around this time due to drugs such as LSD. These bright colours make it feel happy and bright, it distinguishes that it isn't a deep or dark film but light hearted and possibly even funny. The smooth flowing shapes that are used work really well with the minimal white space around them. The typeface used works perfectly in conjunction with the connotations we have already perceived, it looks quite hippy like and carefree, almost overall representing a comic book aesthetic.

(Right hand side)

This is a great example of a two colour print, it is really minimal in terms of detail and information. Abstract is one key word that also comes to mind, as it is not clear what the two colours are representing if they are representing anything at all or if it is open to interpretation? To me it looks like two lips over lapped and the bottom of someones nose, however I think the text is the key to telling you more about the film except it isn't in English. 

From what I have looked at regarding movie posters one of the most obvious stereotypical ways to design a poster is to show the faces of the two or three main characters fading out to a landscape. That is exactly what has been done here but in a much different way. The images are broken into strips looking like pieces to a jigsaw almost. I don't particularly like the image behind but I do like the symmetry within it, it keeps it simple and not too much of a contrast to the photograph. 

Jong, C Burger, S (2008). New Poster Art. London: Thames and Hudson. p-.

(far left)

This vibrant red poster to me connotes violence and blood rather than the dance show it is promoting, it feels too harsh and symbolises death to me. The splattered edges look like the disperse of blood, there is very little to suggest of dance or the genre of dance to be expected. 

This was a poster designed by Paul Share to advertise a lecture he was giving at a University, the aim was to see how hard people would work to read the information on a poster. I like the concept behind it but I think it is almost impossible to read I do not think I would have stayed and tried to figure it out. The resemblance of a barcode is soothing that I picked up on first and thought it was something to do with consumerism. 

It was the colours that really attracted me to this poster, yellow and grey are an uncommon combination that we see in this type of advertisement. The colours compliment each other well however when I think of grey and bright yellow together it reminds me of science warning labels, radioactive? The typeface and layout sits well though, the range in point size highlights the key words and draws the audiences eyes to the larger words first.