I have spent countless moments of head-shaking and wincing while on the highways when I pass RV’s of all makes and models, only to be staring at badly executed attempts at “cool” graphics.

Mostly these graphics take on one form and one form only:  The badly implemented and overly used design convention known as the “Nike Swoosh”.  Now I have nothing against the actual Nike swoosh.  It is probably one of the most simple and globally-recognized logomarks around.  But any attempt at a logo for a tech company, telecommunications company, or computer services company always seem to resort to placing a crescent-shaped swoosh over the name or around it.  Ugh!

That being said, this same convention has unfortunately littered our roadways in the form of useless, and randomly placed graphics on the sides of recreational vehicles.  I guess the intent is to imply speed and make them seem like they are going faster than they are even remotely capable of.  But this is such a farce.

Worse, their placement is undoubtedly managed as acts of randomness.  There seems to be no order or thought-process as to where they need to be placed. In the case of the swooshes, they are usually overlapping, and visually seem to contradict where the eye should be directed.

And if it isn’t a swoosh, it is a random, sharp-looking shape or totally irrelevant graphic.  And when there is a concept for an RV design, say where the RV is called the “Cougar”, and you need to have a graphic of a cougar on it (because let’s face it, people wouldn’t understand the name if you didn’t), it is a graphic that someone created who bought Adobe Illustrator two days ago and have seemed to master it in that amount of time, especially the art of gradients.

Now I am not saying that all RV’s should be devoid of any graphics.  With a smart use of color and nice execution of the design, one can create a dynamic and nicely done application of graphics on an RV.  One whose color palette is modern, and the visual lines of the piece actually all move in the same direction as the vehicle moves, thus having the design make sense.

Thus lies my presentation of The Good (only one), The Bad & The UGLY:

The Good

Not the ultimate in best examples, but you get the idea that if properly applied, it can be done decently.

The Bad

At least the placement isn’t so random and the graphics are used as mild decoration, not the emphasis.  Hmmmm… love that bad gradient applied to the ribbon. Yum!

The UGLY

They couldn’t just leave the horizontal lines alone could they?  “what this needs is a confusing pile of swooshes!”…

Who comes up with the names for these?!!

And it just doesn’t get anymore random than this!

I welcome your comments on this post.

Enjoy!

The most interesting part about this whole, very inspiring, and delicious-looking website?  It is a campaign by the Wisconsin Cheese Advisory Board.  Talk about a great way to sell cheese!  Now I have to run and fire up my grill and wipe the drool from my mouth.

Yum!

The Omen (1976)

Ahhh yes.  The little darling Anti-Christ child, Damian.  No matter what you think about this movie, you can not deny that the connecting behind it’s poster design is fantastic. The rich black background, blood-red title treatment, with that insignificant little number in it.  And who can’t help but love the creepy rendering in his shadow…

Face To Face (1976)

The french version of this poster has a great approach with its blend of color against the background and its homage to all things asymmetrical.

The Front (1976)

I was really drawn to this Woody Allen film poster for its simple, 3-color design, stark appearance, and the title displayed as part of the object in the image.  Funny how the color scheme of this poster is incredible current by today’s design standards.  What goes around, comes around…

Stay Hungry (1976)

This poster has a great font treatment for its title and the choice of containing the images within the center framework and a simple duotone approach of orange and black for the photos really make this poster stand out.

J.D.’s Revenge (1976)

I really like the almost monochromatic color palette of this poster and the illustration that carries itself down the poster and buffers the warped title text.  This poster has a strong vertical diagonal to it and I just LOVE that rich forrest green for the background.  Nice….

The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976)

Regardless of its weird and lengthy title, this poster has a very whimsical approach to the illustration and type.  The flat, slightly muted colors help to highlight this style as being rather dominant in the mid-70’s.

Jaws (1975)

Of course I had to start off the list with this monumental cinematic movie.  This movie not only scared the pants off of movie-goers, but its poster has become an icon in movie posters.  The symmetry, the proportion of the two elements really help you fear going back into the water… as if the movie itself didn’t quite do it for you.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

I just love the simplistic approach this poster had. The simple, cut shapes of black and red are used in a minimalistic fashion to simply help tell the story.

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

No other pair of lips has more global recognition next to the Rolling Stones than this movie poster.  Simple, bold colors. The vivid imagery, and that great dripping typeface (for which many spinoff fonts have been created from).  I wish more posters could get away with having so little…

Tommy (1975)

What would one expect from the psychedelic song by the Who than a poster that has so many circular elements through out it that one could get dizzy just staring at it. Bizarre and twisted, I just LOVE this poster.  The neon colors, the mirrored effect of the central image…. mmmmm.

One Flew Over The Cockoo’s Nest (1975)

This poster is brilliant.  The black and white image of Jack whimsically staring upward, directing the eye to the title, which has a very hand-rendered look to it. The bold red lock interwined in the lettering, all against a light-screened backdrop of chain-linked fencing.  One of my favorites from this particular year.

House of Terror (1975)

I find this central image so jarring and erie that I had to include this one.  Sometimes the photo says it all.  I love the vertically-segmented approach, the bright lime green box with the title tucked to the right.  The whole poster shouts horror movie without having to resort to a single drop of red.

So Sad About Gloris (1975)

Speaking of single drop of red, this poster knows how to successfully use it in the design. Here, the high-contrasting, stark nature of the two figures help give the poster an ambiguous scene… it takes the eye a minute to gauge what it is seeing, while the title treatment being placed inside the blood droplet helps to really convey that this movie might have less than a happy ending.

Earthquake (1974)

Another cinematic entry into the Disaster genre that captivated movie audiences in the 70’s, Earthquake was by far my favorite in that it used such a creative approach to the title type treatment and has such a strong diagonal lead visually that just draws the eye in and downward.  Lovely illustrative approach to the type too….

Chinatown (1974)

A landmark movie for Polanski, Nickolson and Dunaway, and the poster design is simply delicious.  The hand illustrated tribute to the Art Nouveau period in design during that time period is fabulous.  Even the hand-rendered type treatment for the film and acting credits is great.  Bright colors, this poster’s unique style really stands out from most of the posters of its time.

Buster and Billie (1974)

While not as impressive or memorable a movie as the former, I am somehow drawn to this poster’s drab color choices (which I might note is very contemporary in design now) and the simple halftone overlay of the images.  The hand-drawn title treatment is a nice touch.  There is a subtle nostalgic impression this poster gives which is why I felt I needed to give it a shout out.

Journey Through The Past (1974)

Now before you go and get your panties all up in a bunch, while I do NOT support the image of this poster (haven’t seen the movie), I do need to acknowledge the design of it.  The stark, bold swashes of patriotic colors and sharp, recognizable silhouettes really help convey the strong concept that this poster is trying to communicate.  The Klan and American patriotism. The delusion that  the former held (and still does) that these two things go hand in hand is controversially portrayed in this poster.

The Odessa File (1974)

I know what you are thinking… first the KKK and now nazis?  But this movie of thrilling intrigue needs to get my hands down pick for being the best movie poster of 1974. The fantastic use of negative space that draws the eye down and to the simple title treatment and bold graphic of spies and guns (and a very familiar symbol) is great.  The movie poster almost just consists of a logo brand for the movie and a blank canvas.  Huge thumbs up!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

I love the visual simplicity of the french-version for this movie’s poster. The shocking image of Leatherface repeated across the page in high-contrasting black-and-white and the pumpkin orange type treatment at a subtle angle make this poster just ROCK!

Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (1974)

Sometimes an image is worth a thousand words.  Here, using just the right image in combination with the title really helps to draw attention to this movie.  The choice of typeface beautifully compliments the tone of the movie.

The Parrallax View (1974)

I just really dig this concept behind this poster’s design and the high-saturated color palette. The use of an irregular grid for the image really helps build visual tension and maintains the viewer attention.  A great way to complete this entry.

Let’s see what 1975 has in store….

Day of The Jackel (1973)

Even though this is the foreign movie posters for this film, the sheer simplicity of the poster helps convey what the movie is about.  The bold flat colors are striking and the hand-done approach to the design elements and beautiful choice of fat serifed type is fantastic!

Magnum Force (1974)

While I am a man that is definitely comfortable in saying that he’s not comfortable in pink or salmon, I don’t mind this dominating hue for this poster for a another great film in the now, long career of Clint Eastwood.  The tilted angle of the layout grid, the distorted images, that color…  make this a great movie poster.

Billy Jack (1973)

I just LOVE this overall collage approach to this poster’s design.  The hand-cut paper, the rich tapestry of colors and that flippin’ sweet typeface used for the title treatment. Really nice…

The Sting (1973)

While not recognized as the main “cover” image for this film (as portrayed on all video and dvd covers of the film), this alternate version helps to continue to establish a main design theme of that year in graphic design. Flat muted colors and an printed lithograph look to the design.  Simple, yet charming.

Kid Blue (1973)

While not one of Dennis Hopper’s more notorious films, I love the interesting fusion of imagery for Kid Blue’s poster design, along with the flat areas of color to create different duotones in the layout. Nice!

Brother On The Run (1973)

Okay.  This  just ROCKS!  This thing screams an echoing tribute to the 1960’s era of psychedelic poster design, while giving that day-glow disco color palette.  Whether you think this poster is “groovy” or an eye-sore, you can not deny its visual power to make you look at it while drifting by the movie theater to view the marque line-up.  Fantastic!!!

I love the splatter and raw feel of the illustration. And what could possibly be better than pitting ninjas against pirates? Who would win? Not sure, but it is a great premise…

The Godfather (1972)

This is one of the more iconic movie logos ever created.  Originally crafted by the great S. Neil Fujita who originally created this image for the book cover, this stark black and white movie poster didn’t need color to help draw it in.  Choosing to equally divide the verticle space with black and white, while granting more room for the movie details (actors, credits, etc), was actually a brilliant move as it helped to play off of the contrast and give it a sense of symmetry.  One of the best for 1972!

There was also an Italian version of this poster (below) that chose to keep the simplicity but added the red profile of the title character to the field of black. Both are beautifully managed in their design!

Malcolm X (1972)

This poster is a great opposite to The Godfather’s poster in that it used a great warm read to really get your attention and then by titling the entire layout grid of the design, it helps to give this poster the visual attention it deserved.  The white, thick title treatment helps pair well with this color and makes it just jump off the page.  A very strong design…

Child’s Play (1972)

While this poster isn’t edgy or doing anything different, it made my list because I loved the duotone look and the sheer concept of the child’s blocks and gameboard to convey the movie’s premise.  I guess my love of this poster is more in its conceptual greatness than it’s design greatness.  Great use of Helvetica Thin too…

Frenzy (1972)

What is not to love about this poster?!  The spiraling imagery and the use of the neck tie to help achieve it. The stark color palette of black, yellow and red… This really helps convey the tension that one would come to expect from the Master of Suspense – Alfred Hitchcock.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Quite a different approach than the previous poster, this poster for one of Robert Redford’s earlier movies uses a minimalist approach in color and generous use of negative space to draw the eye into the poster.  The element of snow in the movie is strongly conveyed by the tactics of this negative space.  Beautiful piece!

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

This poster uses a brilliant color palette of black, orange, red and purple to make its visual statement.  The gleaming eyes of the Count really help make this poster not only scary, but visually brilliant, and therefore, eye-catching.  I love the logotype for the title treatment with the cross/stake image….

Deliverance (1972)

While this movie’s film quotes are more memorable than its poster, I included it in my list for one very good reason.  The choice of images to use in connection with the headline.  It is powerful and effective in making you wonder just what the heck happens in this movie to these guys and why.  Just another example of why selecting just the right image can be just as important as how you lay it out in the design of the poster.

Elvis on Tour

While I am not a huge music fan of Elvis, this poster design for one of his many filmed live performances help to continue the fortified funk of the King during his reign in the early 1970’s.  That vibrant, wavy sunburst pattern, the warm gradient image of him in his Vegas-style garments, and the deep navy blue at the bottom really make this a striking poster.

The Other (1972)

Again, it was the year of bold areas of color and high-contrasting imagery.  Another great example how a limited color palette with stark images can make a great, memorable poster.

Separate Peace (1972)

As if my previous notes above weren’t enough, here is another example but the designer took it one step further by using a very non-traditional color at the time.  What?! No red or yellow or white?!  Nope.  A fantastic grass green.  This poster really sets itself apart when on the wall with many other posters at its release time.

Skyjacked (1972)

Whoa…  Who would have thought that this poster or movie premise would be so foreshadowing to our current times.  I love the visual direction created by repeating the plane image.  I love the color palette of charcoal gray, cardinal and creme.  And I love the title type treatment and use of Avante Garde for its text.  Its a nice note to end on for this blog entry….

Now on to the year of 1973….