MOVIE POSTERS SUCK

Wait, what?

Yes. Movie posters are ugly.

They all look the same.
Many follow the same tropes and clichés.
Most don’t communicate what the movie is about.
 RESEARCH (1/3)
• The mission of the poster is to attract people.
• You must tell them in as few words as possible
what they will see.
• You must appeal to their artistic sense.

- Scotson Clark
Cheltenham Advertising Service, 1915(1)

(1) “The origin and development of the American moving picture poster”
 RESEARCH (2/3)
• Film posters first began appearing in the early 1900s.
• Simplistic, often minimalistic; a few flashy words and/or
a single visual element (1)
• 1950s-60s: mentality began to change; posters featured
complex and beautiful artwork of actors and scenes
from films (1)
(1) “Remembrance of films past: Film posters on film.” Stephen Parmalee.
(2) “Are movie posters in a design crisis?” Sammy Maine.
• Poster designer/illustrator Graham Humphreys says
modern film studios assume the audience has no
interest in “creative integrity” in a movie poster. He
goes on to assert that this may be untrue:
“A quick look at the work of Saul Bass will tell us that this
wasn’t always so. His amazing work on mainstream releases
shows us that a cloud of disengaged headshots isn’t the only
way a poster can communicate the core of a film.” (2)
 RESEARCH (3/3)
As posters became more visual/representative,
trends and tropes began to appear among similar films
and genres.
According Michael Barnett, print editor of
Marketing Week, film studios have turned away from
creating memorable imagery in exchange for low-risk,
wide-appeal compositions. (1)

(1) “Gone to the wall—why modern movie posters are dreadful.” Benjamin Lee.
EXPERT INSIGHTS
GRAHAM HUMPHREYS
designer/illustrator

SAM GILBEY
designer/illustrator

DAVID SIMMONS
professor of Humanities
and Film Studies
 THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
(AND WHY THEY’RE IMPORTANT)

• Formalized by Josef Albers and the Bauhaus

school of design in the 1920s
• Art and design experts and schools still
universally subscribe to and abide by HARMONY REPETITION RHYTHM BALANCE

these principles. (1)

• Many movie posters fail to take these principles
into account, giving priority to mass-appeal
commercial tactics.
UNITY EMPHASIS VARIETY PROPORTION

1) “Foundations of Design” (2nd ed.). Jeff Davis.

 THE PROBLEM
The majority of the problems with movie posters stem from
2 core issues:
• misuse of various tropes and predetermined styles that fail to
communicate the film’s intent or unique qualities
• poor understanding of the principles of design
 THE SOLUTION (1/3)
These problems can best be addressed through the lens of
the design principles and semiotics to find the most appropriate
imagery, iconography, styles, signs, and language which more
accurately convey the qualities of the film being represented.
 THE SOLUTION (2/3)
SEMIOTICS
the study of meaning-making via signs and
symbols, and creating meaningful visual
communication; key to understanding the visual
language of an entity or composition.
(1) (2) (3)

1) “semiotics.” Webster’s Dictionary Online.

2) “Visual semiotics.” Wikipedia.
3) “Semiotics and Visual Representation.” Brian Curtin, PhD.
 THE SOLUTION (3/3)
I have created an educational exhibition which serves two purposes:

1) to propose a set of ideals as a solution to this problem that

plagues the industry.

2) to familiarize the uninitiated with the basic fundamentals of

art and design
 THE EXHIBITION
8 “[The Principles of Design] are considerations that one would expect most designers to employ with instinct.” “[The Principles of Design] are considerations that
- Graham Humphreys
one would expect most designers to employ with
7
MOVIE
instinct.”
- Graham Humphreys

(REDESIGN) (REDESIGN)
collage of bad posters

6
POSTERS
(ORIGINAL POSTER) (ORIGINAL POSTER)
Look at these movie posters. Do any of TROPES SO, WHAT Principles of Design Explained poster redesign poster redesign WHAT WILL
5
them stand out? Speak to you? Entice original original
you to see the film? If it seems like many
of them blend together, feel the same, or
follow similar trends, you’re not alone.
AND IS GOING poster poster
BRING

SUCK
There is a problem in Hollywood
poster design. As you move along this CLICHÉS WRONG? CHANGE?
4 wall, I will attempt to break down this
problem of boring, unoriginal posters
and get to the bottom of what exactly is
going wrong. Enjoy. POSTER REDESIGNS
3
In order to enforce the idea that an understanding of semiotics and the design principles can allow for more
interesting designs in movie posters, I decided to take a crack at redesigning two bad posters for good movies.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING HELL OR HIGH WATER

On the left is “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The issues with the
original design of this poster were addressed in the interactive piece,
“So What is Going Wrong?” earlier in the exhibit. As you can see in my
redesign, I took into consideration the major theme of the film wherein
protagonist Peter Parker must daily overcome his school responsibilities
on top of his duties as the superhero, Spider-Man. This theme, as well as
the overall tone of the film, and any story elements, are totally
This was a poster that was not so much badly executed as it was
conceptually uninteresting and uninformative. I wanted to better serve
the point of the story and play on the visual style relevant images from
the film.
Oil plays a secretly very important role in the story of our
protagonist, Tanner. It essentially serves the role of “promised land” for
Tanner--something he just needs to survive long enough to get to, and

“Posters can often take on a life of their own beyond the product they sell.”
unapparent from the original poster.

“Nobody wants to commit themselves to

I wanted to convey the feeling that his school problems loom over
him the same way his superhero ones do--a core element of the conflict
in the film. While Peter swings between school lockers and toting his
backpack, the viewer can see, in the night sky, his enemy, “The Vulture.”
This highlights the duality of Peter’s conflicts. Additionally, I wanted to
create a sense of visual unity in the elements and structure of the piece.
The cascading buildings and lockers guide the eyes from the title to
Spider-Man himself, to the lockers, to The Vulture in the sky, to the cast
billing along the top of the poster.
then he’ll be safe. I wanted the poster to feel stained with oil, since it’s a
subtle yet critical motivating factor beneath the intense and
action-packed story. I included the faded imprint of the $100 bill to
represent the more immediately recognizable motivator in the story:
money. I needed this poster to feel truly western. Truly dry and beat-up
and tired. The original poster failed to capture that.
Ultimately, with this one, I wanted to test the capabilities of the often
misused photo-collage poster. I wanted to prove that you can show off
your stars without forgetting to talk about the movie in the poster.

- designer/illustrator exploratory concepts or unfamiliar visuals unless

2 Graham Humphreys
they are proven solutions used elsewhere.”
- designer/illustrator
Graham Humphreys

5’ 2’ 3’ 2’ 27” 11” 2’
8 “[The Principles of Design] are considerations that one would expect most designers to employ with
- Graham Hu

7
6
MOVIE collage of bad posters

5 POSTERS Look at these movie posters. Do any of

them stand out? Speak to you? Entice
you to see the film? If it seems like many
of them blend together, feel the same, or
follow similar trends, you’re not alone.
TROPES
AND
SO, WHAT
IS GOING
Principles of Design Explained

SUCK
There is a problem in Hollywood
poster design. As you move along this CLICHÉS WRONG?
4 wall, I will attempt to break down this
problem of boring, unoriginal posters
and get to the bottom of what exactly is
going wrong. Enjoy.

3 “Posters can often take on a life of their own beyond the product they sell.” “Nobody wants to commit themselves to
- designer/illustrator exploratory concepts or unfamiliar visuals unless
2 Graham Humphreys
they are proven solutions used elsewhere.”
- designer/illustrator
Graham Humphreys

1
 “[The Principles of Design] are considerations that one would expect most designers to employ with instinct.” “[The Principles of Design]
- Graham Humphreys
one would expect most de

VIE collage of bad posters

(REDESIGN) (REDESIGN)
-

STERS
(ORIGINAL POSTER) (ORIGINAL POSTER)
Look at these movie posters. Do any of
them stand out? Speak to you? Entice
TROPES SO, WHAT Principles of Design Explained poster redesign
original
poster redesign
original
W
you to see the film? If it seems like many
of them blend together, feel the same, or
follow similar trends, you’re not alone.
AND IS GOING poster poster
BR

K
There is a problem in Hollywood
poster design. As you move along this
wall, I will attempt to break down this
CLICHÉS WRONG? CH
POSTER REDESIGNS
problem of boring, unoriginal posters
and get to the bottom of what exactly is
going wrong. Enjoy.
In order to enforce the idea that an understanding of semiotics and the design principles can allow for more
interesting designs in movie posters, I decided to take a crack at redesigning two bad posters for good movies.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING HELL OR HIGH WATER

On the left is “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The issues with the
original design of this poster were addressed in the interactive piece,
“So What is Going Wrong?” earlier in the exhibit. As you can see in my
redesign, I took into consideration the major theme of the film wherein
protagonist Peter Parker must daily overcome his school responsibilities
on top of his duties as the superhero, Spider-Man. This theme, as well as
the overall tone of the film, and any story elements, are totally
This was a poster that was not so much badly executed as it was
conceptually uninteresting and uninformative. I wanted to better serve
the point of the story and play on the visual style relevant images from
the film.
Oil plays a secretly very important role in the story of our
protagonist, Tanner. It essentially serves the role of “promised land” for
Tanner--something he just needs to survive long enough to get to, and

ers can often take on a life of their own beyond the product they sell.”
unapparent from the original poster.

“Nobody wants to commit themselves to

I wanted to convey the feeling that his school problems loom over
him the same way his superhero ones do--a core element of the conflict
in the film. While Peter swings between school lockers and toting his
backpack, the viewer can see, in the night sky, his enemy, “The Vulture.”
This highlights the duality of Peter’s conflicts. Additionally, I wanted to
create a sense of visual unity in the elements and structure of the piece.
The cascading buildings and lockers guide the eyes from the title to
Spider-Man himself, to the lockers, to The Vulture in the sky, to the cast
billing along the top of the poster.
then he’ll be safe. I wanted the poster to feel stained with oil, since it’s a
subtle yet critical motivating factor beneath the intense and
action-packed story. I included the faded imprint of the $100 bill to
represent the more immediately recognizable motivator in the story:
money. I needed this poster to feel truly western. Truly dry and beat-up
and tired. The original poster failed to capture that.
Ultimately, with this one, I wanted to test the capabilities of the often
misused photo-collage poster. I wanted to prove that you can show off
your stars without forgetting to talk about the movie in the poster.

- designer/illustrator
Graham Humphreys
exploratory concepts or unfamiliar visuals unless
they are proven solutions used elsewhere.”
- designer/illustrator
Graham Humphreys
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN?
Though their true origin is unknown, the eight tenets recognized as the “design
principles” by art scholars today were first formalized by Josef Albers and the Bauhaus
art school in Germany in the 1920s. Of course, whether named or not, these principles
of art and design had been practiced and honored for hundreds of years prior, and are
still upheld by artists and art education programs around the world today.

HARMONY
Do each of the elements work
together to enhance and properly
modify the effect of one another? Is
the composition cohesive and
natural?
UNITY
Consideration should be taken for
how all elements in a composition
work together to create a whole.
Does it feel like a single entity, in
which all pieces belong together?

REPETITION
Use of the same or similar elements
in multiple instances across a
composition creates visual cues to
help pull together different pieces
of the composition.
EMPHASIS
Visual hierarchy allows viewers to
understand what is most important
or what should be seen first. A
sense of dominance in these
elements can help ensure this.

RHYTHM
This is the movement of the eye
caused by a composition. How
does the viewer’s eye move around
the piece? Does it cover all areas?
Is hierarchy considered?
VARIETY
Diversifying the elements in a
composition retains a viewer’s
attention and makes a composition
more appealing, leading to further
investigation into the piece.

BALANCE
Use of a dominant element creates
visual “weight” in a composition.
Often this requires some sort of
counterweight to orient the viewer.
A lack of balance can be used
deliberately to great effect as well.
PROPORTION/SCALE
The relative size of elements in a
piece can help create a sense of
hierarchy, magnitude, and balance,
or intentional imbalance if so
desired.
e Principles of Design] are considerations that one would expect most designers to employ with instinct.”
- Graham Humphreys
(REDESIGN)
SO, WHAT Principles of Design Explained poster redesign
IS GOING
WRONG?
POSTER REDESIGNS
In order to enforce the idea that an understanding of semiotics and the design principles can allow for more
interesting designs in movie posters, I decided to take a crack at redesigning two bad posters for good movies.
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
On the left is “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The issues with the
original design of this poster were addressed in the interactive piece,
“So What is Going Wrong?” earlier in the exhibit. As you can see in my
redesign, I took into consideration the major theme of the film wherein
protagonist Peter Parker must daily overcome his school responsibilities
on top of his duties as the superhero, Spider-Man. This theme, as well as
the overall tone of the film, and any story elements, are totally
unapparent from the original poster.
“Nobody wants to commit themselves to
I wanted to convey the feeling that his school problems loom over
him the same way his superhero ones do--a core element of the conflict
in the film. While Peter swings between school lockers and toting his
backpack, the viewer can see, in the night sky, his enemy, “The Vulture.”
This highlights the duality of Peter’s conflicts. Additionally, I wanted to
create a sense of visual unity in the elements and structure of the piece.
The cascading buildings and lockers guide the eyes from the title to
Spider-Man himself, to the lockers, to The Vulture in the sky, to the cast
billing along the top of the poster.
exploratory concepts or unfamiliar visuals unless
they are proven solutions used elsewhere.”
- designer/illustrator
Graham Humphreys
“[The Principles of Design] are considerations that
one would expect most designers to employ with
instinct.”
- Graham Humphreys
(REDESIGN)
(ORIGINAL POSTER) (ORIGINAL POSTER)
original
poster redesign
original
WHAT WILL
poster poster
BRING
CHANGE?
HELL OR HIGH WATER
This was a poster that was not so much badly executed as it was
conceptually uninteresting and uninformative. I wanted to better serve
the point of the story and play on the visual style relevant images from
the film.
Oil plays a secretly very important role in the story of our
protagonist, Tanner. It essentially serves the role of “promised land” for
Tanner--something he just needs to survive long enough to get to, and
then he’ll be safe. I wanted the poster to feel stained with oil, since it’s a
subtle yet critical motivating factor beneath the intense and
action-packed story. I included the faded imprint of the $100 bill to
represent the more immediately recognizable motivator in the story:
money. I needed this poster to feel truly western. Truly dry and beat-up
and tired. The original poster failed to capture that.
Ultimately, with this one, I wanted to test the capabilities of the often
misused photo-collage poster. I wanted to prove that you can show off
your stars without forgetting to talk about the movie in the poster.
ORIGINAL REDESIGN
ORIGINAL REDESIGN
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtin, B. (n.d.). Semiotics and Visual Representation. Retrieved from http://www.arch.chula.ac.th/journal/files/
article/lJjpgMx2iiSun103202.pdf

Davis, J. (2016). Foundations of Design (2nd ed.). N.p.: Tempe Digital.

Lee, B. (2016, January 28). Gone to the wall - why modern movie posters are dreadful. The Guardian. Re
trieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/28/why-modern-movie-posters-are-so-
dreadful

Maine, S. (2017, June 20). Are movie posters in a design crisis? Creative Bloq. Retrieved from http://www.
creativebloq.com/features/are-movie-posters-in-a-design-crisis

Parmelee, S. (2009). Remembrance of films past: Film posters on film. Historical Journal of Film, Radio & Tele
vision, 29(2).

semiotics. (2017). In Webster's Dictionary Online. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio

nary/semiotics

“Visual semiotics.”. (2017). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_semiotics

QUESTIONS?