Timeline Analysis

After collecting a selection of popular posters from each decade from the twenties to the noughties I have come up with a few conclusions. Firstly it is obvious to see the clear development through the years, and after breaking it up further it becomes clear that the biggest leap in design differences is from the 1970's to the 1980's. Before then things seemed to be usually hand rendered, with a collage of different characters meshed into one single frame, but after things began to change. The seventies introduced the used of photo imagery and separating the text from the image itself. Often boxes where used for this effect, as is evident in the Godfather example on the previous post. However the eighties took it one step further and started to use simple snap shots combined with what seemed like a popular dark colour scheme. More blues and blacks and metallics were used, maybe it was because of the increased sci-fi releases.

Anyway, starting at the beginning it is clear to see that neutral colours were popular. Mostly browns and beiges bordered designs that did feature beautiful typography, which when explored closely becomes obvious it is hand rendered. This method was pretty prominent right through to the 40's. Not much changed, however with the introduction of more film genres concepts became more abstract and illustrations more vivid. I would say that the first sign of change came in the 50's with the burgeoning 'epic' genre which called for higher profile posters and an all round better standard. The sixties still ran along the same lines but with artists like Saul Bass making a name for themselves, posters became more diverse and underground. More variations also became available, usually your standard theatrical release and a redesigned, more arty version by people who where beginning to appreciate poster design as an art form.

Then came the seventies and the eighties where things really took off, leading to to the nineties. It was almost as if people became lazy and just did the simplest thing. Usually meaning your bog standard nineties film poster contained a photo of the principal cast members or a key piece of scenery taking up the majority of the page, and the title placed at the bottom in the middle. It seemed as though so much effort was going into creating the film itself, there was no expense spared to advertise the feature. Fortunately things seemed to change in the noughties and variation was once again popular.

In conclusion there has been a long period of development in regards to film posters, but I think we are currently in a place where experimentation is applauded and many artists spend their time perfecting their own interpretations. Hopefully this will continue and the industry will flourish, with big time movie producers unafraid of taking a gamble on an artists vision.