The reality is that there were only two that I felt were worth blogging about here, and in this case not because of design execution, but a creative concept and a strong design decision.

Blink

Now, why the main poster for this movie, about a blind lady who finds herself wrapped up in a plot of suspense, was pretty good, it was its advance teaser poster that I think is worth mentioning.  Here, concept is king. The poster is of a very familiar image, one that seems natural for us to see on a wall or marquee, but natural common enough that we stop to ponder why it is there or what it has to say.  The movie says everything, but nothing too literal.  A really creative concept to introduce the movie to its soon-to-be audience.

Forrest Gump

Yes, you may be saying “why?!”.  But here is a great example of how important every decision is in design execution.

The poster seems simply enough.  The very famous park bench with Forrest sitting on it… which becomes the context for the whole narration of the movie.  And type.  Simple lead-in copy.  The iconic actor’s name and the title of the film.

Now what I want to point out is that by not centering the text, but pushing it far to the right of the character, creates a huge amount of negative space that not only adds an asymmetrical layout, but there is concept to that negative space, as they have positioned the character of Forrest Gump in such a way that he is looking at that immense space that helps convey the wonderment, imagination, and innocence of the character.  It conveys his optimism, and also draws us in to wonder what he is thinking… Much of this concept would have been lost if the art director had simply instructed the designer to center the text over the image.  Great design is in the details.

Funny to think that was almost 20 years ago and where things have gone regarding design principles.

1993 didn’t have too bad of a crop of posters, with a just a few that are worth mentioning that push the envelope just a bit more with regards to visual direction, concept, or layout.

King of The Hill

I am going to start off the batch with my favorite of that particular year.  The first thing you will notice is that while designers were starting to move away from the day-glow color palette of the previous decade, the designer of this poster chose colors that were VERY forward-thinking.  Their beautiful low-saturated color scheme is surprisingly what has been “IN” and trendy of the last 4 or 5 years.  The beautiful vignetted tan for the background (whereas someone else might have just used white) gives this poster a richness to behold.

The typography is wonderfully mastered to not sit on any grid register and dances down the layout, playfully drawing the eye and reader down to the title.  The concept of the poster is highlighted by the obscure image at the very top that first is what catches our eye and takes us down through the design.  Minimalistic and simple, this poster was very much a standout from the pack.

Crush

Yes, it is funny that I would proclaim the greatness of a poster for its color choice and than move onto a poster whose color pays homage to the previous day, but one can not deny that use of bold and vibrant color was masterfully used to gain attention to this poster.  Beautiful use of negative space, strong visual concept with the reflection in her glasses and the use of a non-digital type treatment for the title.

Deception

The strength of this poster’s design comes from its strong angled layout.  From the purposefully distorted image and strong, dagger-like swash of color behind the actress against the all black background, all of the text adhering to the diagonal is fantastic.  Even the great choice of tall slender type for the title (which also has been rendered with a concept) was great to help support a very visual “long” layout within the confines of the space.

Rising Sun

Great movie.  Great poster. What makes this poster so good is the intense symmetry of its layout – from the half profiles of its two iconic actors, to the strong mid-section that naturally draws your eye down to the title treatment, made even stronger by the high contrast of the amber lines, down to the urban landscape.  One can not deny the strength and boldness of this design.

The Firm

I have always liked this poster for two reasons.  I love the dark, color duotone palette used.  It is rich, dark and mysterious.  It plays on the audience draw of its lead actor, but isn’t done overly pretentious.  More importantly, the design convention of the strong diagonal line that at first glance the eye wants to decipher it as his tie, but upon closer inspection it is revealed as a shadow.  The purpose of this design element is obvious… to draw the eye into the visage of the face to be taken inward in the design to reveal an inner scene that helps support the dark, ominous mood the rest of the poster conveys.  Nice job!

Where the heck did all of the good posters go?”

It’s as if all of the great graphic designers went on strike during this year, because I only found FOUR that I found to worthy of showcasing for their good use of layout, color, negative space, or typography. Don’t get me wrong, there were tons of movies hitting the theaters, but the posters that advertised them just were of the average garden-variety and were overall…lack-luster.

So enough gripping. Here are the 4 that stood out to my eyes.

Malcolm X

Typophiles rejoice!  This poster just hits it out of the park!  Why?  Simple, bold, and it’s ambiguous enough to cause people to talk about it or get closer to see just what movie is coming out on November 18th.   For a teaser poster, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

Unlawful Entry

I love this poster for two reasons.  The combination of grainy monotone images and full-color help to break up the visual space.  Top it off with a the strong horizontal spaces of white that cut up Ray Liotta’s face are great.  It gets the impression of voyeurism without showing window blinds.  The irregularity of it gives it almost an organic feel to it and it just pushed the creative envelope more than what some of the others were doing at the time.

Basic Instinct

Not only a disturbing movie to watch, but this poster shows how just the right photo can really make the poster.  The glaring eyes of Sharon Stone, the wonderful duotone image that is revealed in an obscure, almost blade like shape that dissects the visual space and the wonderful empty negative space really helps make this poster stand out from the pack.  The nice subtle text distinctions in the title treatment are just icing on the cake as is the way the image and text copy draw the eye downward towards the title. Fabulous!

Reservoir Dogs

Thought I should end my small collection with a BANG!  Literally.  The poster is simply an award-winner.  A great approach of grainy photo, arresting red hue overlaying it (to mirror the amount of blood spilled in this flick), the modern approach to the typography… simply delicious.  A wonderful, edgy poster to match a wonderful and edgy film.

But what of the movie posters of that year?  Were there any outstandingly designs ones that stood out from the pack adorning the walls of our local theaters.  You bet.

Here is my collection of the ones worth mentioning…

JFK

Not only a stellar movie (one of my personal Top 20 favorites), this poster used a combination of color and photo montages that created a very engaging layout where the eye is purposefully directed through the poster and works beautifully with the typography to convey interest in the movie yet flex it star’s growing popularity without it all being about Costnar.

Defenseless

Even more simplicity was the approach of this poster in using all black, minimal copy, and the very bold use of red in a slightly abstract way that draws interest and creates a very symmetrical design.

Jungle Fever

Big fan of the movie?  No.  But, since it’s debut, I have always LOVED the concept of this poster.  Finding a way to convey the plot synopsis of the movie with a very strong graphical treatment, the creatives behind this poster really went all out without going over the top.  Simple, yet very strong visually… and I love how the title treatment was worked into the layout.

The Silence of the Lambs

Not only was the book fanstastic, but we know how that well that movie went not only at the Box Office but at the Oscars. And it is nice to see the poster matched up the movie.  A very attention-getting layout whose concept is vague for a purpose.  That fact that it all comes together on your way out of the movie theater is what I love about it. Enough said.

Dead Again

I love the gray, grainy background and photo overlaying imagery of the two faces.  It dissects the layout plane wonderfully and its lack of real hues makes it stand out among a pack of other, colorful movie posters.

Rocketeer

I love posters that pay homage to a distant design style.  Here the combination of Art-Deco, Cubism, and the muted color palette of the ’20′s is fantastic.  It conveys the era portrayed in the movie as well as the design conventions of that era.

So, what did the kick-off year of 1990 hold for us in terms of great and innovative graphic design?  See for yourself… some really great work!

The Hunt For Red October

This was just a striking poster.  The visual impact of the red with the high contrast of Connery, the sub and the tight formation of the title treatment that mirrors the shape of the sub is fantastic! Bold and in-your-face…

Coup de Ville

I just love the high-contrast, pop-art illustrative style of this poster.  There are great visual shapes going on here and the strong play of foreground and background shows a strong execution skills by the layout designer on this one.

Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones

I simply LOVE this poster.  Yes, I am a typophile and love all type treatment design solutions, so laying that all aside… The larger-than-life red “Q” grabs your yes and than you are treated to a tight vertical headline treatment that is slightly tilted and wonderfully bleeding off the edge of the poster.  Edgy, aggressive, avante-garde, yet incredibly simple!  YUM!

Pretty Woman

An iconic movie needs an iconic poster.  Why does this one stand out?  The bold pink headline on its side is mirrored by the movie credits that also wrap around the sides, bottom and up the other side of the poster.  This is complimented by showcasing the main characters in an isolated fashion that really play off of the strong vertical formatting of the typography.

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

The movie and Andrew Dice Clay? Crap.  The movie’s poster? Great!

I love the low saturated color palette, the textural, illustrative style and typefaces that pay homage to designs of the the first half of the 1900′s, and the overall tilt that the layout has… wonderful!

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Okay, this poster really pushes the envelope with regards to doing something that the rest of the pack isn’t doing.  The bold and bright color palettes, the quirky, yet fantastic treatment of the title and the way that the space in between the lettering is filled in and creates such visual tension down the centerline of the poster if absolutely brilliant!

So what did it yield? A diverse group of movie posters that all are trying something new in concept, execution, and styles.

Dead Calm

Not only a great and tense triller, but its poster does nothing short of grab your attention.  The striking red, the velvety texture of the ripples for the overall background pattern, and the unexpected and obscure orientation and cropping of Nicole Kidman’s face all aid in making this one great poster.

New York Stories

This poster for the movie that merges 3 stories from 3 movie-making greats does a great job of re-introducing the age-old technique of lithograph prints or silkscreened posters.  The beautiful, muted colors, flat areas of color and limited palette make this poster really stand out from many of its competitors.

Slaves of New York

I really loved digging this out of the archives.  It really was slightly ahead of its time for this year and may have been one of the design trend settings that really signified the early 1990′s.  The garish multiple colored palette with, brightly colored tinted photos and the urban penwork for the headline typography all make for a great, “FRESH” poster.

Gleaming The Cube

I love that this poster refuses to let go of the ultra-bright and primary color scheme of the 80′s, yet its main great aspect is its wonderful exploitation of negative space.  It just really adds that visual dynamic that leads the eye and draws it in and than to where it needs to go…  Beautiful!

Drugstore Cowboy

This poster’s greatness comes from two simple things.  Not only finding just the right photograph, but simply adding a wonderful complimentary colored headline shot that has been distressed to give it that urban, gritty feel. Wonderfully executed!

We’re No Angels

Sometimes taking an average layout design with average type treatment, but injecting it with a shot of out of the box creativity can make it shoot up to the level of genius.  Here the simple concept of two escaped convicts who are passing themselves as priests to stay out of the Law’s spotlight is fabulously conveyed by the simple notion of the horizontal stripes.  But the fact that the designer left the hands out of the striping adds depth and helps to further communicate the concept of the movie.  Italy’s alternate version for this film is simply outstanding in concept!

Sex Lies and Videotape

I just love the gutsy moves of this poster in its un-traditional use of color, shape, and layout as the viewer’s eye is directed through the piece.  Very colorful, yet different and that is what made it standout for me.

So today’s entry is from a Vietnam War movie cult favorite… “Full Metal Jacket”.

This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.”

Now take that quote and create a beautifully crafted poster design and you have a film masterpiece to hang on your wall.  Well, that is exactly what British graphic designer Livia Lucie did.  From the flat, drab color choice, to the exquisite typographical design of the quote… this is a must-have for any film freak and for every designer out there to take note of.  This is how it is done people…

Oh, and the best part is… if you love it that much, you can get this large 12″ x 17″ print for only $20.00 USD.  Click here to order.

However, while there wasn’t a ton of great movie posters being churned out by design houses, there were a few notable ones to post here that I feel did things that made them stand out from the rest.

The Last Temptation of Christ

While I never liked this movie, I never the less have always LOVED this movie poster.  The message of the thorns, the bright red color, the stark black and white, and the almost abstract patterns the illustration create really made this shout out to the public who might be passing by the marque.  Wonderful!

Mississippi Burning

Another controversial movie, but what a great way of conveying the premise to movie-goers.  The tons of negative space with the eyes staring at you, and the wonderful use of black and white with the title treatment to really nail home the racial divides between blacks and whites that the movie depicts.

Hotel Terminus

If it isn’t the KKK, than it is Nazies.  However, I really loved this poster’s design for the swastika being made with almost a fabric texture to it and the profile peering through it.  Simple but very effective.  Love the white space!

Dangerous Liaisons

I always thought that this was a great way to depict that there is tension among the characters in the movie.  Here, the designer chose to have such a strong, narrow space in which to focus the eye and almost squeeze the characters into it.  This convention literally creates visual tension to the eye…

Last Rites

I thought the stark, high-contrasting image of Tom Berenger with the super-imposed image was rather effective in communicating the premise and it was done in a subtle way as to not get too carried away… which some overlays can be sometimes.

Dead Pool

In his early years, the big gun was a given in any good Clint Eastwood cop movie, and Dead Pool was no exception. But I found its poster did a great job of playing around with the various elements: Clint’s profile, the gun, and the unconventional arrangement of the title treatment to create a very interesting layout that carries the eye through the piece.

U2: Rattle and Hum

I loved this poster because you can tell that the freedom of album cover graphic design was carried over well into the realm of Hollywood poster design. Here, the rich color palettes, the effective overlay of imagery that causes the eye to see more than one thing at a time, and the organic background all work together to really make a great poster.  And let’s not forget the great typographical  treatment used for the title in the top corner.

Next up:  The 1989 collection….

Call it an omen, but it was that year, regardless of the previous couple of years, when movie poster design started trying new things.  Sure, there was the recurring design convention of the paper-tear motif that reared its head here and there, but all-in-all, it was a good year. A really good year based on the number of posters that made this article.

Below are my candidates for honorable mentions in good exercises in strong design.

Fatal Attraction

Here is that paper-tear I was mentioning, but it is so relevant to the concept of the movie and the poster, that it deserves extra mention.  The nice duotone color palette of the poster is split dramatically by the red to help create the tension that this movie was known for.  The title treatment on a tilted axis also helps convey that visual tension.  Now all this layout needs is a rabbit…

Black Widow

Yes, division of the layout space seems to be a similar convention, but once again, when it is used as a creative convention to help convey meaning, it is done properly.  Here, the strong black and white creating a symmetrical feel to the piece helps convey the polarity of the movie’s characters.

Robocop

I know what you are thinking…. But while you may have a solid opinion of the movie, and its movie poster, I bet you had never come across the alternate version of its movie poster, which I think is just short of brilliant.  The large, flat color, the duality of shapes between the helmet visor and gun, and even the retro color palette.  This is just great!

Backlash

It wouldn’t be the 80′s without some residual presence of day-glow colors, but here they are used sparingly.  I love the creative use of a psuedo-collage for the top image and the subtle diagonal of the type treatment that leads the eye downward through the visual space.

No Way Out

Do you see what I mean about the paper-tear convention really dominating much of the posters of the later 1980′s?  But again, I really like how it was used to help establish certain sections of the layout to have a stronger visual presence.  Here you can see how the eye is directed to the headshots of the leading characters, but then traverses to the minor image of Gene Hackman and then the running Kevin Costnar before you get to the title treatment.  The eye is really lead this way and that way through the layout.  A nice technique here…

The Lost Boys

Aside from the poster slapped against many a young teen girls wall (tons of Brat Pack colleagues present), this poster made my list because of the dominant use of black and white imagery for most of the poster and then the strong, rich blood red used for the backdrop.  A very arresting image and helps convey the tone and subject matter of the movie.

Empire of The Sun

This poster also used a very strong color to help grab the eye, but in this case it was a nice gradient against a very drab gray backdrop.  Coupled with the strong diagonal imagery of the aircraft in descent and the hand-drawn title treatment, this poster definitely gets the Eye Grabber award.

The Believers

Among other dominant design themes for posters of this year, the color red along with black and white were among them.  But I can’t help but love the use of it here as the strong wedge formation of the upper imagery diminishes down through the title treatment and finished at the “V”.  Strong visual direction by color or elements is crucial to a good poster design, and this is no exception.

Dead of Winter

I have to love the use of the Bodoni font for the title treatment and the real simplicity that the designer chose to use for this poster.  Sometimes in a see of colorful posters along the marque wall, a lack of color can really help the design stand out.

Suspect

Well look at this.  Black, white and red.  Not the most original color scheme (as seen by previous posters here), but I like the translucency of this design to help focus the eye into the layout and the creative use of the gavel into the title treatment (even if it is downplayed).  Still a nicely designed poster.

Making Mr. Right

Finishing off my list is one that really helps to highlight some of the design conventions of the 80′s.  Bright primary colors, high  contrast, geometric shapes used for design elements, and extreme transitional typefaces. Ahhh yes…. The 80′s.

“It was so intimidating!” the artist told Wired.com in an e-mail interview. “There is such a wealth of great Star Wars art out there already, from paid professionals and from enthusiastic fans. I suppose my main aim was to make a set of Star Wars posters that were a little different from what people are used to seeing from the franchise, but still retained that essential Star Wars feel. I started by re-watching the original movies with a sketchbook on my lap, and just sort of went from there.”

With a large, bold use of flat colors in the silhouettes of C3PO, Boba Fett, and Darth Vadar, Moss was able, in my opinion, to hit this out of the park.  Notice the dual imagery inside of the silhouettes to help showcase the character (the dual moons of Tattooine, Cloud City, and the branches in the trees).

Does it do justice?…YES.  Do they outdo their predecessors?… NO.  But that is not an insult as it is a statement about the greatness of the originals in the Pop Culture.

Star Wars

The Empire Strikes Back

The Return of The Jedi