Have you seen a movie poster and felt immediately drawn to the content? Do you wonder what the story must be? Have you asked yourself why a girl’s crying? Or, why someone looks afraid? If this is the case, the movie poster is doing its job!
Movie posters are usually made by creative teams at design and marketing agencies that cater to the movie industry. These agencies employ designers, art directors, sketch artists, illustrators, creative directors, and all sorts of creatives to make fantastic movie posters.
Who Creates Film Posters?
The easiest way to sum up who creates movie posters is graphic designers, it’s a generic term, but many job titles are under this umbrella. Generally, these creatives study art, graphic design, and marketing to prepare for this career. They specialize in positioning images and typography to maximize an emotional response from the viewer in under a minute.
Movie poster design is a form of advertising. These posters exist to promote and celebrate a TV show or movie release. The goal is to give onlookers a film preview and hook them into the storyline. Basically, they need to sell tickets or get viewers hooked on a new show.
Poster creators design and use images, slogans, and the film’s title on the poster. While some creators do freelance work, others are employed by agencies full-time.
One notable freelance designer and illustrator is Akiko Stehrenberger. She’s a passionate artist best known for her creative work on Fleabag, After the Storm, and Funny Games. As a freelancer, she’s a self-employed movie poster designer/illustrator and isn’t tied to a specific agency.
Another notable poster creator is Drew Struzan. He is best known for his creativity in creating the first six Star Wars films and his personal touches in designing the label insignia and lighting. His air-brushed technique made the poster color and lighting look authentic and stand out from other movies.
How Do You Know Where a Film Poster Was Designed?
Most film posters have their production company’s address on the back of the poster. However, this might not be where the poster was produced, but rather the company owning the copyright. You won’t likely see the contact information of the creator or graphic designers.
I find out where an actual poster was designed through a website called IMP Awards. This website is a database of movie posters, and at the bottom of each poster, it usually has a link to the agency that designed the poster.
However, this isn’t true for all posters.
Where Are Posters Printed?
As soon as the movie studio approves a movie poster, the file is then sent to large commercial-scale printers that print the posters and ship them to movie theaters, film conventions, and other media outlets. This also includes billboards, bus and subway advertisements, and wild posts.
How Can You Contact a Movie Poster Creator?
The substantial majority of movie posters are created and designed by marketing agencies. The actual creator is usually an art director (graphic designer) who works for the agency. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of designers, so pinpointing the actual creator will be extremely difficult.
If you really wanted to know who created a particular poster, you would first need to find what agency designed the poster, then call that agency to see if they will release the actual designer’s information to you. Chances are they can’t do to privacy laws and contractual agreements.
Also, some movie studios use their in-house design team. You would need to call the movie studio and pinpoint the designer.
Once again, your best bet is to start off searching the IMP Awards database, locate if an agency or studio designed the poster, and then make a phone call.
What about freelance designers, illustrators, and artists?
Sometimes a movie studio or marketing agency will hire an outside artist, illustrator, or designer for a particular project. There are a handful of popular or famous designers that create movie posters.
You can follow some creators and artists on social media platforms like Pinterest or Instagram or use IMP Awards Database. You won’t find their contact information since this would likely violate their privacy. However, some artists have their business email on social media pages.
For example, Akiko Stehrenberger has an Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. On these pages, you’ll also see links to her website, Akikomatic. You can go to her contact page, where she has details on how to reach her online.
Another artist that creates movie posters from time to time is James Jean. The same thing you can follow his socials and try to contact him through his website.
Do Graphic Designers Make Film Posters?
Technically yes, graphic designers design movie posters. However, graphic designers focus on more creative projects than just film poster creation. Graphic designers also create digital media, motion design, music videos, and book covers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graphic design is growing, albeit slightly slower than other industries. Graphic designers specialize in blending digital design with an authentic human touch.
Most graphic designers complete a bachelor’s degree and work as interns to gain experience. Creating an impressive portfolio is the best way for graphic designers to improve their business and expand their creative opportunities.
If you want to learn how to design movie posters and work in the movie poster industry, you should read these articles and visit our YouTube channel.
- What Font Do They Use for Movie Poster Credits?
- A Guide To Typography For Beginners | Movie Posters
- 9 Most Important Elements of Movie Posters and Marketing
How Do You Hire a Movie Poster Designer?
This all depends on your budget. If you need a high-quality movie poster design and have thousands of dollars set aside for your film, then it would make sense to use an agency. Go to the Designer section on IMP Awards, and you will see a list of agencies and professional movie poster designers.
If you are working with a small budget, one option would be to use Upwork or Fiverr. These websites have thousands of graphic designers looking for work. However, be sure to look at their portfolio to confirm they have actually designed movie posters before.
Closing Thoughts
Movie Posters are created by graphic designers, art directors, creative directors, illustrators, and even fine artists. The direction comes from the client/movie studio and is generally executed by marketing agencies.
If you are looking for a specific agency or designer that created a specific poster, your best bet is to first go to IMP Awards and search their database. Through websites and social media, you may be to contact them and find out who designed a specific poster.
Our blog specializes in everything movie poster related! Check it out to learn more about these artistic expressions!
Sources:
Quora: Who designs movie posters? How much do they get paid for one poster design?
Instagram: Akiko Stehrenberger
Huff Post: Why Star Wars Needs to Use Illustrators Like Drew Struzan for its Posters