Even in this digital age, there remains something captivating and inspiring about printed movie posters.
Amidst the almost endless video clips and lairy social media posts, poster designs stand as silent but effective promotion for up-coming blockbusters and thought provoking features.
And it requires exceptional design skills to capture the attention, interest, and excitement of an audience within just a few fleeting seconds.
It's no surprise producers behind film franchises like Star Wars choose to release a poster as part of the promotion for a new release alongside video trailers and commercial announcements.
The artwork reveals tasters about key characters, without saying too much, while still allowing fans and commentators to surmise potential plotlines. Clearly, a great poster design can do a lot to generate interest and energy around a film or production.
This hype is one of the reasons movie poster designs remain a popular for those looking to promote all genres of film.
Scroll down to see a whole variety of crowdsourced movie posters that have been created by our community here at DesignCrowd.
Drama movie posters
Understandably, posters for dramas can be the most impactful, with powerful imagery helping to quickly establish a scene in the audiences' mind.
They make a subtle reference to the location of the film which gives an insight into where viewers will be transported to. Closely controling the colors further indicates the mood of the story.
Despite the scale, most include text that highlights crucial elements, namely the film's title, a tag line, and release date. This usually sits effortlessly on the page to ensure it is quickly and easily consumed by a passing reader.
The combination of colors and messaging make for an emotive design that should resonate with audiences and encourage them to flock to the film.
Comedy movie poster design
These posters need to look fun and engaging from the outset. With big, expressive references to the main characters and the subjects in the film, people can quickly get a sense for the personalities and humour involved.
The use of bold colors makes the whole poster eye-catching from a distance and aims to promote positive recall. The typography is often less uniformed to enhance the sense of craze and excitement surrounding the film.
The titles and taglines are usually witty in the hopes it will raise an early laugh and draw audiences in to the cinemas upon release.
Horror/thriller movie posters
In contrast to dramas and comedies, horror movie posters are often much darker and more mysterious. The goal is to send a chill down the spine of the audience before the film even starts.
The ghoulish, freakish references set the tone for the film, which will usually be aiming to attract a specific audience already sensitive to the genre.
Blood references make for striking imagery and are often counterbalanced by subtle but no less shocking nuances hidden in the shadows of the design. It means these posters often reveal more of their spooky tales the longer a viewer spends exploring them, which is ideal for engagement and intrigue.
Documentary film posters
More than most posters, documentary film posters need to tell a lot about the story. They have to quickly illustrate whether the feature is about a positive journey, a factual investigation, or simply a fun observation of life.
It means there can be more scope for text as this helps give a better insight into the film. And while the imagery doesn't necessarily have to be as emotive as other genres, it still needs to be striking and stimulate a feeling of intrigue within the viewer.
Pictures of the people or places involved in the story are often popular on these posters as it helps the audience get to know the subject before they've seen any of the actual film.
Conclusion
Whatever the genre, there remains plenty of demand for quality movie poster ideas to help promote a film.
Learning the aspects of a successful poster design can help generate significant interest in a movie ahead of its release and put it on the path to becoming a popular award winner.
Want More?
Check out these articles to help get your poster on point:
Examples Of Why Black And White Print Designs Work So Well
14 Beautiful Poster Design Examples
5 Aspects of Successful Poster Design
Written by Kevin Bradford on Friday, May 5, 2017
Kevin Bradford is a content editor at DesignCrowd with a background in journalism and digital production. Experienced in both writing and videography, he loves combining his skills to create captivating content across all multimedia channels.
