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Erin Brent
Professor Alain Blunt
ARTS404
10 May 2016
Film’s Journey to Minimalism
Advertising and promoting for motion pictures has always been intentionally tied to the
use of posters. As Gary Rhodes points out in the article “The Origin and Development of the
American Moving Picture Poster”, all throughout film history – beginning in the days of silent
film up until the present, posters have been used as a centerpiece of movie marketing. Posters are
so strongly linked to the movies they are related to that their images often act as an embodiment
or a symbol representing the movie. Even after a film’s main advertising and marketing stages
are completed, its posters continue to be memorable images that symbolize the film in a way that
is static and unchanging. By using examples of movie posters created between the 1930s and the
2000s, it is clear that a pattern can be found regarding the journey from ornate design minimalist
design. Graphic design plays a significant part in setting the tone of a movie and representing the
time period in which it was made and/or set.
According to “Remembrance of Films Past: Film Posters on Film” by Stephen Parmelee,
film posters very early on were used to advertise “moving picture shows” before and shortly
after the turn of the 20th century. They typically featured only text and information about the
type and location of the exhibition. Once the movies entered the mainstream and reached popular
appeal and their exhibition became financially practical for the general public, between 1910 and

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1915, posters began to appear that were designed specifically for individual films and portrayed
characters, actors, and events from that film.
It is evident that the mission of the poster is to attract people. The poster must
bring the people across the street. Secondly, having gotten them there, you must
tell them in as few words as possible what they will see when they get inside. You
must excite their curiosity sufficiently to make them part with their nickel, dime,
or quarter. Thirdly, you must appeal to their artistic sense, and managers are apt to
underrate this quality of the general public's mind.
– Designer Scotson Clark
The movie poster has a responsibility to find a balance between form and function. Its purpose is
to be attractive and interesting but it also must function as a working advertisement and be
informative and useful.
Like any form of art, movie posters have evolved over time. The aesthetics and idea of
the movie poster did not appear out of thin air. Given the similarities in showy coloring and
large, bold typefaces, it is apparent that the early film industry found inspiration from posters
advertising the circus. By looking at posters such as King Kong (1933) by Carroll Clark and
Alfred Herman or Gone with the Wind (1939) by Howard Terpning, movie advertisements in the
1930s featured very bold text and detailed hand illustrations often depicting the film’s main
characters in a scene from the film. The poster for King Kong gives a preview of a scene wherein
King Kong ravages through New York City. Gone with the Wind’s poster depicts the male lead
holding the female lead, with the backdrop alluding to a plot point surrounding a devastating fire.
The 1940s left us posters that primarily feature the main characters without giving much
information about the plot of the story. The movie poster Casablanca (1942) by Bill Gold does
not hint at anything having to do with the film’s plot. The poster depicts illustrated portraits of

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seven of the film’s characters. The poster is not completely ambiguous however, as the
characters are in costume which does give context. Creating and distributing posters was not
consistent in the early days of American film advertising. The bulk of posters in that era were
created by different lithograph companies who were not associated with the film manufacturers
(Rhodes). This trend has since been stopped, allowing manufacturers to have more control over
the publicizing of their product. For the duration of the 1930s and 1940s, movie posters were
beautiful, full page illustrations. At this time, the ratio of imagery and information to space is at
its highest, and this factor does evidently decline over the course of the twentieth century leading
up to minimalism in the 2000s.
In the 1950s, movie poster designers began to take on less literal and more conceptual
approaches to their designs. This can be seen in Saul Bass’s poster for Vertigo (1958). The center
of the poster features a dark, silhouetted figure that looks as if it is being sucked into a spacious
looking, spiral hole. The hierarchy of this poster seems to favor this illustration over the text,
which spells out the film’s title and its two lead actors. As well as designing the theatrical poster
for Vertigo, Bass is also responsible for the film’s opening title sequence. According to “Saul
Bass: Anatomy of Film Design” by Deborah Allison, opening credits were "little more than
perfunctory afterthoughts rarely more creative than having the names of the movie's stars and
production staff revealed by the turning pages of the book." before Bass arrived on the scene.
Saul Bass changed this tendency, creating a heavily-stylized (and immediately memorable)
opening montage for The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955.

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His refreshingly modernistic and original approach to titling brought him fame and
opened the door for other artists to create title sequences and ending credits that fit in as a part of
a film’s storytelling. Exhausted by the pressure of the new industry standards that he had played
such a role in creating, Bass
almost entirely ended his
career in titling work in the
mid-1960s. He later
returned only to produce a
few highly acclaimed
sequences in collaboration
with his wife Elaine Bass
(née Makatura). In his final
years, he created sequences
for Martin Scorsese films
such as Goodfellas (1990)
and Casino (1995). During
his hiatus from title making,
Bass gravitated toward
making short films that
would overtly focus on the
philosophy of creativity, its
origins, and its modes of
consumption (Allison).

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The 1958 poster for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman by Reynold Brown features an almost
entirely full-page illustration that portrays an image that is synonymous with the film’s title. It is
a straightforward and memorable image that relies on the attractiveness of the illustration more
than it relies on the names or images of the film’s lead actors, whose names were tagged on to
the bottom of the poster in a quiet way that does not seem to match the intensity of the
illustration. This trend seemed to flip come the beginning of the 1960s. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
(1961), designed by Roland Anderson and Hal Pereira, incorporates more text and less complex
illustrations in its official poster. The poster seems to have a strategy that requires emphasizing
the fame of its star, Audrey Hepburn. A full body illustration of Hepburn is fixed onto the full
length of the poster, and her name shares equal importance with the film’s title. This same style
is seen in the poster of Cool Hand Luke (1967) by Bill Gold. The main element of the poster is
its star Paul Newman. His image takes up nearly half of the page and his name is highlighted
with the same weight as the title of the film. Movie posters in the 1960s did not get rid of
illustrations completely, but the role they played was not as significant as it had been in the past.
Roger Kastel’s design for Jaws (1975) follows similar patterns as posters from the 1960s
did. The main body of the poster is an illustrative portrait of the film’s main character, however
in this case the star of the film is a great white shark. Rather than this poster using this method
and relying on the fame of the star, it relies on the shock factor and the excitement that is
associated with the shark and the illustration’s depiction of the shark swimming up through the
water where an unsuspecting person swims. As written in “Remembrance of Films Past: Film
Posters on Film” by Stephen Parmelee:
Film posters, of course, have a humble and grubby reason for existence: they
advertise a product. The poster is not for personal or private enjoyment, but is

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developed for public display and to attract public attention. It was designed to be
understood at a glance, communicating an announcement or commercial to
passers-by. Rarely does a poster offer a mystery to be unraveled, but rather it
attempts to arrest attention (by eye catching) and deliver a message swiftly and
convincingly. It uses popular symbols and popular idioms—the language of the
spectators in its target audience. Poster designers often reduce their image to a
single element, usually exaggerated, which will be fixed in memory after a single
glance.
Taking this quote into
account, Kastel has
created a poster for
Jaws that succeeds in
exaggerating a
symbol that is
memorable and
delivers a message
about what the story
that the film tells. The
official poster for
Jaws reveals elements
that are important to
the plot of the movie
and gives the viewer
context to understand
what the movie is

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about without knowing the specific events of the plot. This poster in particular stresses the
illustration as its most important element. The shark’s nose acts as an arrow which is pointing
upwards towards the title of the film; “JAWS” is written in a bold, sans-serif font. This is not the
only text on the poster however, it also features the names of the film’s lead actors, an
endorsement “the terrifying motion picture from the terrifying No.1 best seller”, as well as
additional information at the bottom, such as the name of the director, the composer and the
movie’s MPAA rating.
Beginning with 1977’s A New Hope and remaining consistent until the present with
2015’s The Force Awakens, the theatrical posters for the Star Wars franchise have been
thematically consistent following the lead of Drew Struzan’s poster for A New Hope (1977). This
poster features a collage of both illustrative and photographic components. It features portraits of
the lead actors, space crafts and light sabers. The images are action packed and very busy. None
of them have a focal point, and each has an abundance of informative text on the bottom third of
the poster that is seemingly thrown on as an afterthought. There are pros and cons to practice of
consistency throughout the posters of the franchise. Unlike many film series’ which typically
begin and end in a decade or less, the three generations of Star Wars have spanned over the
course of almost forty years with more of the story yet to be told in the coming years. Keeping
the same basic layout for all seven of the Star Wars movies is smart in terms of recognition;
however using the tricks of the 1970s for an audience in 2015 would likely not be effective for a
film. To be fair, these rules do not apply in this context, as the franchise is not relying on the
same tradition forms of advertising as A New Hope (1977) did and The Force Awakens (2015)
did not need to garner a new following of fans from scratch.

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Posters that came out of the 1980s begin to resemble posters that we are used to seeing
today. John Alvin designed the theatrical poster for 1982’s E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. This
poster is part of the era that begins to find balance between imagery and the text. The imagery
features photographic, graphic and illustrative elements. The poster’s imagery shows E.T.
reaching a hand out and touching his finger to the finger of the young male character, mimicking
Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”. Behind this is a photo still directly from the film, when
the boy is riding his bike in front of the moon. Both of these images that take up the entirety of
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial’s poster are direct references to the movie. The images make more
sense to someone who understands the context and has seen the film previously than to a first-
time-viewer.
The poster for Ghostbusters (1984) by John DeCuir Jr. is completely graphic; this design
is off the beaten path of this time where most posters featured photographs. The image of a ghost
behind the red circle and slash “no” symbol has become a very recognizable and iconic symbol
representing Ghostbusters. It functions similarly to a logo. The make-up of this poster is almost
50% image, 50% text. The image of the ghost behind the “no” symbol appears again, replacing
the “O” in “Ghostbusters”. The names of the film’s three main stars are featured prominently
above the title, again taking advantage of the star power that the film has, but not in a way as
flashy as using photographs of them as promotional material.
James Verdesoto created the iconic poster for Quentin Tarentino’s film Pulp Fiction
(1994). This poster is off the beaten path towards minimalism that began in the 1970s and 80s.
The imagery is a little busier, and it features the film’s leading actress in a role as the seductress.
The poster is designed similarly to a magazine or book cover and is made to look dated. To show
this, it features graphic elements such as wear and tear and a 10-cent sticker. The image does not

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give away much
information about
the movie’s plot,
but it does help to
set a tone. Its dated
elements combined
with the dark
atmosphere
surrounding the
leading woman, the
gun placed in front
of her, and the
cigarette in her
hand all contribute
to this poster being
reminiscent of noir
films. The font that
spells out the
words “Pulp
Fiction” is very
western and leads to the conclusion that this is a crime movie.

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Over the course of film history, theatrical posters from the past have transcended the
purposes for which they were originally made and become icons. There are many symbols that
could be used to represent Pulp Fiction but its poster is the most memorable. In Stephen
Parlamee’s writing, he notes that the director, Quentin Tarantino often slips references to movies
he is inspired by and has enjoyed in the form of featuring these movies’ theatrical posters in his
own movies. The posters from films that show up in Tarantino’s films are often movies that he
grew up with, and they are mostly action-oriented, sensationalistic, and exploitation films, and
they are almost exclusively American. In Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s love of film posters can be
seen in a scene in which the characters visit a restaurant and nightclub called Jack Rabbit Slim’s,
The club is decorated with posters from films of the 1950s and 1960s, which seem close to the
film’s aesthetic disposition. As the characters enter Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Tarantino pays homageto
director Roger Corman by displaying the restaurant’s decorations in the form of posters for The
Young Racers (1963), Rock All Night (1957) Sorority Girl (1957), and Machine Gun Kelly,
(1958). Also visible in the nightclub are theatrical posters for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
(1958), Motorcycle Gang (1957), and Road Racers (1959). Tarantino uses this tactic again in
Death Proof (2007) in a similarly themed restaurant called Guero’s Taco Bar. This same homage
has been given to Tarantino, for example, the poster for his film Reservoir Dogs (1992) often
being displayed on characters’ bedroom walls in movies as wide-ranging as Following (1998),
Art School Confidential (2006), and Employee of the Month (2006).
On the track of movie posters that iconically represent the movie it was created for, Home
Alone (1990) has one of the most memorable theatrical posters of that decade created by Dan
Webster. As written in “Compose, Design, Advocate” by Anne Frances Wysocki and Dennis A.
Lynch, posters are usually in public places and are fighting with the entirety of the surrounding

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area for the attention of passersby. Because of this, an interesting composition or typography can
only go so far when a poster is battling with potentially thousands of neighboring, attention-
grabbing visuals. Home Alone’s poster features an image of the film’s main character with his
hands on his face in a position that is reminiscent of Edvard Munch’s painting, “The Scream”.
The image comes off as slightly unsettling and gives the poster a sense of uncertainty. With little
context given in relation to this photograph, it succeeds in being interesting in content.
The poster is booming with text, having a tagline that begins at the top and continues in
the center of the poster, together reading “When Kevin’s family left for vacation they forgot one
minor detail: Kevin. But don’t worry… He cooks. He cleans. He kicks some butt.” The two
sections are inconsistent in spacing, size and color, so the break of the text doesn’t bring the
viewers’ attention from the top of the poster to the bottom. Like the title of Ghostbusters which
is stylized with the “no” symbol as the “O”, the title of Home Alone is stylized on the poster as
“HOME ALONe” with an illustration of a house replacing the space between the words. This
makes the title seem more like a logo and makes it more recognizable.
Movie poster design in the 2000s is seemingly very disconnected from design from the
twentieth century. Throughout the twentieth century, it was as if designers were building off of
designs from previous decades and changing and tweaking them to create the layouts for the next
decade’s posters. This trend discontinued at the turn of the twenty-first century when movie
poster design turned minimal. It is not fair to generalize the entire decade however, as thousands
of posters were designed by a plethora of artists and design teams and they don’t all follow the
same guidelines. This considered, it does appear as though the beginning of the twenty-first
century was also the beginning of a fresh era of movie poster design.

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The theatrical poster for Almost Famous (2000) published by Pulse Advertising is a model
example of this sensation. The entire poster is filled with a close-up shot of the lead actress’s
face. The words “Almost” and
“Famous” are placed in her
sunglasses, partially covering the
reflection of lights and a band
playing a show. The movie takes
place in the early 1970s and the
image is lightly grainy to indicate
that it is dated. Though the
director’s name is on the poster, it
does not call attention to itself as
the text remains low on the visual
hierarchy. Following this, the
actors’ names appear at the bottom
of the poster, lost in a sea of other
text about the film. This body of
text does not stand out and would
have to be read purposefully. The girl’s face and sunglasses are very clearly the main element of
the poster. The images speak for themselves and overall the poster succeeds in storytelling
without being busy. The viewer isn’t overwhelmed with information but can still make
assumptions about the movie and understand what the movie poster is saying.

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Another poster from the 2000s that embraces minimalist design is that of Spider-Man 3
(2007). Though the first two movies in the franchise are similar in design and concept, the third
succeeds the most in storytelling and giving a preview of the film’s plot. Superhero movies don’t
need to rely entirely on flashy advertising to bring in new fans, as these heroes have legacies and
cult-like followings before their movies are even conceptualized. The poster for Spider-Man 3
differs from the first two in the franchise because it effectively portrays a representation of the
movie’s main conflict, which is an internal struggle or light vs. dark situation. Aside from the
main imagery which takes up most of the poster, the top of the poster features a tagline, “The
greatest battle lies within”, while the bottom is taken up by the title and information about the
movie such as actors, the name of the director, and companies involved with the creation of the
movie. This body of text seems to serve in regard to the design or layout. It would have to be
read intentionally as it is small and unreadable from a distance. The poster’s layout favors the
image of Spider-Man and his dark counterpart over the title of the film, as the image of the
superhero is recognizable enough on its own. The image could stand on its own and have the
same effect.
It is evident that movie posters in the 2000s have become very minimal in comparison to
the full page illustrations of the 1930s and 1940s. Neither of these styles is objectively better
than the other, as they both served their purpose in the time they were relevant and implemented.
In modern times when people are seeing as many images and advertisements as we do, it is
necessary to communicate as much information as possible by using tactics that come across as
minimal and simple.

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Works Cited
Allison, Deborah. "Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design." Journal of Film & Video 68.2 (2016):
61-62. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr. 2016
Parmelee, Stephen. "Remembrance Of Films Past: Film Posters On Film." Historical Journal Of
Film, Radio & Television 29.2 (2009): 181-195.Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Apr.
2016.
Rhodes, Gary D. "The origin and development of the American moving picture poster." Film
History 19.5 (2007): 228+. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Wysocki, Anne Frances, and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate. Longman, 2011.