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.