Poster Child

Graphic design plays a crucial role in the way in which we interact with movies. There are many roles and responsibilities that graphic designers take on in the film industry, props, sets, and even costumes are carefully curated and designed through the lens of a filmmakers vision, but one of the most important roles of a graphic designer in film is to introduce the public to films. Movie posters and film advertisements have transformed over time, changing with our habits and with technological advancements. Our interaction with movie posters is significantly different than it was 100 years ago, or even 20 years ago. The movie poster is a lost art, in a sense, and the ways in which we interact with movie posters has shifted almost primarily to a digital landscape. Changes in our movie-going experiences and interest in cinema has ultimately led to the "death of the movie poster.”

Along with a reduced interaction with physical assets like movie posters, there is a lost sense of artistry, intrigue and culture that movie posters used to embody. With the debate over AI in design and in film, combined with streaming culture and the seeming unending release of super hero movies, many people wonder about the future of film. The stagnation of Hollywood does not end with the films themselves, however. The slow decline of the quality of the movie poster has, in some ways, contributed to our disenchantment with the silver screen. It is telling that posters used to be collected and coveted, and displayed proudly, while modern movie posters are mostly generic, photographic collages that do not serve the same type of artistic purpose.

A lifelong passion for movies and visual storytelling has led me down this thesis path. Initially, I had wanted to explore the actual art of filmmaking, through a graphic design lens, but quickly found that graphic design and filmmaking are separate arts that rely on one another, but are not as closely related as I had thought. However, I was still able to explore my interests (or maybe even obsession) related to movies as part of my project. As a graphic designer who draws inspiration from film (and spends much of their free time watching movies), I have always been fascinated by the art of the movie poster. Because of my initial interest in filmmaking, I decided to consider my thesis project to be a film of sorts. With this in mind, I formatted my materials in a way that follows suit—for example, my thesis statement is considered a synopsis, my content are “key scenes,” etc. This explains the perhaps peculiar language and verbiage used throughout the project.

In recent years, I have been disappointed, and at times appalled, by the lack of design that seems to go into current movie posters. As I scrolled through various streaming services and searched online, I found that most movie posters were just plain bad, and are an insult to good films. Sites and communities like Alternative Movie Posters and Mondo were giving artists a platform to share their own artistic takes on film posters, but overall, save for a few studios and artists, the film industry has not adopted the mindset that the poster is a work of art.

I was given the opportunity to work with a local director, Reza Amidi, to create a poster for his first feature film. This project involved the art direction, design, and illustration of a poster and the key art was received well by the whole production team. Eventually I  received a message from this director letting me know that the poster would have to be redesigned as per distributors’ request, despite the fact that he felt it truly reflected his artistic vision and efforts. Reading the sentiment “distribution companies/sales agents are pushing for a more generic, straight to the point poster” was heartbreaking to me as an illustrator and a designer. In the end, Reza was able to use the original poster that he had envisioned for his film. Though this is a small step, it gave me hope to see that there was still a chance for smaller, indie directors to realize their true artistic vision in all aspects of their filmmaking journey.

When I decided that I wanted to focus on movie posters, I thought that I should talk to several types of people: designers, film enthusiasts, and more general movie goers, that may not even pay attention to film marketing. One of the most informative interviews that I have conducted was with ArtCenter Film Chair, Ross LaManna. LaManna is a screenwriter and author, best known for creating the Rush Hour film series. This conversation started with a discussion about the evolution of the movie poster, where LaManna lamented the transformation from fine art posters to cheap-looking photoshopped ones. He noted that the decline in physical newspaper subscriptions and interaction played a big part in film marketing, as people were no longer looking to the paper to learn about new movies and showtimes in their area. LaManna cited a ‘myopic industry view’ as the reason for which posters have become so boring over time. Ross shared that there are many cases in which marketing departments must green-light a campaign before a movie is even made, which essentially puts the fiscal concerns of filmmaking before artistic concerns. In other words, he believes that the movie industry is too focused on pleasing marketing departments and distributors, and as a result poster art has fallen to the wayside. LaManna believes that retailers and streamers have all of the power in the industry, so this sector of the industry will be my target audience. Movie posters are no longer iconic, collectible pieces of art as they used to be, and he found great importance in my thesis efforts. LaManna ended the interview with a very important sentiment: “Studios are missing out on a marketing tool, and the public is missing out on art.” Since then, I have also spoke to LaManna about his favorite movie posters, and as a non-designer, he brought in some posters that I would not have considered to be iconic. This was interesting because the things that we like and that stand out to us are so individual, and his favorite film posters had some personal connection to him as a film enthusiast.

There are a few reasons for which the purpose and aesthetics of a film poster has changed throughout time. It is important to recognize and understand both the history of cinema and of movie posters in order to engage in this topic.

Many consider Jules Cheret’s 1895 poster for Projections Artistiques to be the first movie poster. This illustration was used to advertise the short film, and though previous films did have posters associated with them, this was the first that used a piece of art to represent the film as a whole. According to “History of Movie Posters,” published by The Poster Collector, early movie posters were initially used to describe the novelty of the films (i.e. the technical aspects of the recording technology). Cheret’s poster showed an audience watching the actual film that it was meant to advertise and from this point on, more visually engaging posters were used to entice audiences to come to theaters. Throughout time, different global events and technological trends affected Hollywood, which, in turn, impacted the movie poster. Emerging genres, like sci-fi, set new standards in posters, and for a significant amount of time, movie posters of specific film genres followed very similar aesthetic and compositional rules. Specifically, after World War II, sci-fi and fantasy movies became popular, as a way to escape the dread of the current state of affairs, and these movie posters all had very distinct illustration styles and themes to reflect that collective societal shift. The illustrated poster, in many forms, was favored until the 1980s and into the modern era, as many artistic practices were digitalized.

One may argue that photography can often lack the humanity and artistry that illustrations used to capture, so it could seem as if poster designs declined in quality when photographs were used in favor of illustrations. However, there is a larger problem that graphic designers must address: The loss of “concept based design” within movie posters and advertising. “Concept based design” describes work that is less literal, and is fueled by metaphors, similes, and symbolism. Posters that used to include iconic graphics and pictures have been replaced with ones that show full casts, almost spelling out an entire movie for an audience. It is insulting to remove all curiosity and assume that we cannot figure out what a movie is about without having it all laid out before us. To me, concept based design leaves interpretation up to the viewer. Rather than a poster showing everything one will see in a film, concept based design utilizes symbols, non-literal imagery, color, and concise messaging to get information across. This concept based design thinking is what I yearn for in movie posters.  A bad movie poster is not only insulting to good film, but it also insults the audience. Why do we, as designers, believe that the audience needs to see every cast member and every plot line on a movie poster in order for them to understand what the movie will be about before even seeing it?

In the modern era, most people interact with movie posters and key art on their phones, laptops, or TVs through streaming services. Because the poster is seen less as an art, and more of a tool for marketing and advertising, the care and artistry that used to go into a poster seems to be lost. Most posters feature an actors and bad photo bashing, along with generative AI in some cases. As a touchpoint for connection to audiences, bad posters are an insult to good films. Designers and film lovers need a new way to engage with movie posters, and embrace an art that use to be coveted, collected, and framed. A community built around the celebration of this art will help people to understand their importance, and will encourage people to pay more attention to them as an extension of a filmmakers creative vision.

Poster Child is a mission-driven studio that is centered around community and conversation. The company physically exists in Pasadena, CA, but will have an expansive online presence, meaning that its community spans across many physical and societal borders. The studio will host events, such as film screenings and design industry nights, to create a sense of community, and the organization will ultimately act as a gathering place for people who love art, design, and film. This thesis will examine the art of the movie poster, and it will be crucial to define “good” and “bad” poster design. Art and design is subjective, but for the purposes of this exploration, several key components of design will be analyzed in order to determine what makes for a successful or memorable movie poster; its concept, visuals, messaging, and the ways in which it engages the audience.

This project involved the creation of several types of content to engage a community. First and foremost, Poster Child is a design studio, so poster (re)designs are a key component of the site. A few posters featured on the site were created before the start of thesis, and are included to show the ways in which my consideration of poster design has shaped and shifted through my graphic design career. Several posters were created specifically for Poster Child. Every poster design is accompanied by some sort of article or educational component that informs the reader about why the poster was created the way that it was. For example, a poster for David Fincher’s “Seven” is accompanied by an examination of title sequence design in film, because it was used as a source of inspiration for the poster design. The role of the title sequence in film engagement is also quite important in my examination as a whole. The website also features several articles and interviews with prominent poster designers, artists, and film enthusiasts. Each article focuses on either a methodology for designing movie posters, or film campaigns and their efficacy. Finally, because the studio is meant to be community focused, there is a space for artists and designers to share their work and their process for design. The community gallery is similar to Alternative Movie Posters or Mondo, but is different because submissions are free and open to all types of designers who want to share their work. This helps to build a more accessible community that is not always seen in these types of spaces.

Poster Child is meant for anyone who loves films, or is passionate about design, but the target audience for this thesis project is film studios, directors, and distributors. As of now, the industry dictates (to designers) what a movie poster should be, but I believe that it is time for designers to reclaim the movie poster as a piece of art. To seed interest in a larger scale shift would be the most meaningful result of my thesis. Gaining participation and interest from the design community, studios, and design agencies would be a personal goal. This thesis argues that artists and designers will be the ones to change the film industry, and will reintroduce humanity, artistry, and culture back into movie posters. This challenges designers and the audience to think more critically about what a movie poster really is: it is an extension of a film and a designer’s artistry and creative vision. Poster Child will be inspirational for both graphic designers and artist going in to entertainment marketing and those who are not in the film industry. Above all, it is a celebration of film, art, and design.

Olivia Brett, 

Poster Child