Time for another trip into the past to review and post the movie posters that, in my opinion, showcased creative and inventive strides in the area of graphic design.  The year in review? 1977.

Now I need to preface that I found 1977 very disappointing in terms of poster designs that were exceptional.  Most were true to the design styles of that time, but there were not many that pushed the envelope or really did the movie justice in enticing and calling the audience to view the movies.  Sure, there were some stellar and iconic movies that came out that year like MacArthur, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, Saturday Night Fever, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Smokey and The Bandit, The Spy Who Loved Me, Airport ’77, Eraserhead and The Goodbye Girl, but my list for today only include a bleak 4 posters that made my list.

Here they are….

Star Wars

Now before you start calling me biased, I do need state that this poster made the list for one reason only:  It really helped portray the scope of this truly, world-iconic film.  The grand space battles, the new face of villany, and the scope of story that unfolds is all laid out in a beautifully rendered poster.  This poster screams mega-adventure and when you went and saw the movie, you were hit with the first booming note of its score and title treatments and you were sold.  That is why this poster is here.  It mirrors the experience of the film.

The Deep

I love the simplicity of this design and the real sense of depth that this poster has.  If you fear the ocean, fear the vast sense of fathoms-deep blackness, this poster design nails that feeling.  The struggle to reach the surface is played out beautifully in the figures distance to the top.  Yet, its simplicity also helps create the mystery of the movie.  You don’t know what there is to fear about the deep… a monster? Some other force at work? Great poster!

The Farmer

A rogue film that never really surfaced into the mainstream, but its poster rocks!  I love the ripped midsection that at second glance reveals the rifle/pitchfork and the image being reflected in the glasses.  There are a lot of layers to this design that help tell the story but rendered in a way that shows some out-of-the-box thinking in its approach.

Want more posters? Come back real soon for my review of 1978… a much better year for great poster designs.