After all, in order to fulfill its purpose and easily be recognized as a movie poster, even from afar, it does have to have an element of genericity to it. Go for contrasting colors that will attract attention – as the designers did for It, or choose a primary, dominating color that will cover most of the poster’s surface and select some accompanying complementary colors to create visual interest.įilm posters all follow the same basic guidelines so it can be challenging to get really creative with your poster and make it a unique masterpiece. Whatever you do, the key is not to over-saturate the poster with various pictures: minimalism can work amazingly well, as demonstrated by the highly effective It poster. Another thing to note about this design is the choice of colors (more on this below) – the vibrant red and yellow are a stark contrast to the deep darkness surrounding them, which allows the focus to stay on the essential images. The designers of the poster chose to use this iconic red balloon as it is a key symbol of the plot.
Although the main character is Pennywise, we only see a glimpse of his arm coming out of the shadows, and only a very slight trace of his reflection on the balloon. In the poster for It, the key focus is on the red balloon and the innocent small child. So if it’s a comedy, get across the lighthearted atmosphere with a picture of the cast smiling or by creating a bizarre or somewhat ridiculous scene or collage. A pretty obvious, but crucial, way to do this is to allow the genre to dictate the design decisions. Although poster design has advanced a lot since the early 2000’s when this poster was created, the blue clouds (or smoke) that blend the images together evoke a sense of mystery and magic.Ĭapturing the essence of the movie in the poster is essential – and this is the key component that dictates all of the design choices you’ll be making. The first poster has a much dreamier and softer essence, which once again, reflects the (much less intense) film. Furthermore, thanks to the huge reach and public awareness of the movie, there was no longer any need to place the film title on the posters, which allowed the design to stay simple and focused on getting the atmosphere of the movie across, without any unnecessary elements.Ĭompare this with the poster for the first film: The use of all caps heightens the sense of drama and importance. This movie was heavily anticipated, so the main purpose of the posters was to announce the release date and spark even more excitement – hence the very simple title: “IT ALL ENDS 7.15”. In the first poster, a scene from the film has been used to give us an insight into what to expect.
The posters have captured the seriousness and dark essence of the movie: the characters are in a battle, bruised and bleeding, full of determination and animosity. The conflict between the two sides – good and evil, Harry and Voldemort – is very much the dominating theme of the movie, and this has been clearly depicted with them opposing and each other.
The best way to do this is to recreate the main storyline or the conflict the movie revolves around on the poster, as the posters for the final part of the Harry Potter series did: The film poster is basically a glimpse into what the movie is about, so it’s important to make it reflect the movie as much as possible, without giving the entire plot away. The key to film poster design (and any other kind of design with a similar purpose) is consistency: keep all these elements in coherence with each other, make them all work around one chosen idea or theme, and you’ll be a winner. The following 4 points can be seen as the essential building blocks of an effective poster – get them right, and everything else will fall into place.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the most successful movie posters, and we’ll explore exactly what it takes to make a film poster iconic and intriguing for the public – let’s dive in! Film Poster Design: 4 Essential ComponentsĪlthough it may seem simple, designing a poster entails balancing a multitude of different aspects. Much like a book cover, it’s your very first impression of the film, which can make or break your desire to watch the movie in question. Since the early days of cinema, posters have played an immense role in presenting the public with new film releases, inspiring interest and increasing box office sales.