Redesigning the Posters for Some of My Favourite Movies

Overview

This passion project was a direct product of my love for movies, wherein I challenged myself to redesign the posters for three of my favorite movies. This was a way for me to explore and experiment with new design techniques, while also doing what I truly love and resonate with. When creating each of the three movie posters, it was my goal for them to share similar design attributes, making them appear as if they could be a part of the same collection of movies.

Project Scope

Sector

Date

Moodboards

Inspiration From the Source

When beginning to generate ideas for each poster redesign, it was important for me to first understand the context and tone of their respective movies. In looking at a number of different still shots, I made note of specific imagery that was strong enough to communicate main themes and or dynamics present in the movies, without directly spoon feeding any details.

A big part of my discovery process was looking at the work of other designers online. After finding a few posters that I liked the style of, I picked specific design elements that I wanted to emulate. For instance, I liked the sparing but effective use of colours in some posters, accentuating the important elements while achieving a balanced overall composition. I also enjoyed the subtle use of texture, giving each poster further depth and character without being too overwhelming.

Execution

Achieving a Balanced Composition

When designing each poster, it was important for me to retain a consistent visual hierarchy that subtly hinted at the thematic elements present in the movies. It was crucial that each individual layer I added served a purpose, so as to make every poster’s design language as clear as possible. In an effort to achieve compositional balance, I tried to create tension by carefully choosing what information to communicate and what to leave ambiguous for the viewer to discover. For example, a consistent design technique I used throughout the three posters was visually concealing both the foreground and background characters by both blending colours and silhouetting figures.

Lessons Learned

⌛ Don’t Rush the Process

After finishing the first poster, I had to remind myself that although I was going to be following a loosely established blueprint for the other two, I needed to take time to explore different approaches to see what worked best.

🧩 It’s Easy to Overcomplicate

This was my first time designing a movie poster, and I made the mistake of overcomplicating my design process in an effort to reflect the numerous moving parts of each movie. I quickly found out that less is more when trying to communicate effectively.