Friday 8 March 2013

HOW TO DESIGN A MOVIE POSTER: TOP TEN TIPS

 




First and formost a poster is not just a piece of artwork, It is a unique design to catch the eye of the perspective viewer. Don't design a poster that is just for you, It should be a design that attracts the interest of the regular person, tell them a little bit about the story, but not give away to much away.















Make the title big. The design should convey the genre and the title at a glance. There seem to be too many posters with overly colourful, small and hard to read titles. Having said that, don't make It massive, it shouldn't dominate the poster and take some time to consider text type and what it says about the film. also what other ways can the text have an effect on the way people view it? could It possibly be involved with the poster design to a greater extent, rather than just being slapped on the top of the poster.









 Avoid things like generic text and stale single screenshots or stills from the movie (unless their done artistically and to an interesting and high standard. 








 Follow the conventions...

Most good movies have a form or specific balance. The image should be striking, eye catching, suit the movie/genre and the text and title should also reciprocate these things. 






 Avoid putting all the actors on the cover. (Unless this is the particular style you are going for. This was a very popular style for film posters of the 70 and 80's but It hasn't really been done for a while (except in photo form). 






Be Bold...

A film poster should have a power to It, so go for a single, strong, clear image that somehow conveys the central Idea/s conflict or problem  in the film. The poster does not need to feature all the actors and locations, just evoke a sense of what the story is, and make sure the design is well executed. 







Avoid too many colours... Most colours work best when the few colours they do have, are carefully considered. Black and white posters with a single colour can also be very effective.






Make sure the genre is clear, If the viewer is confused as to the genre of the film then thats an instant fail. 






Keep the design multi-layered. This will allow for easy chnges to be made over the course of the process.









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