Although a movie poster can be a creative playground, you still need to know the basics in creating one especially if you are planning to impress your professor (or first client) and you have a deadline to beat. Here are some tips in making movie poster.
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Understand the core of the film
Thinking of a creative concept alone is one tough thing to do! Either lots of ideas swarm in your brain at once or no idea crosses your mind at all. In creating movie posters, you have to know the gist, the core essence, of the film so you can design your poster in such a way that even just in one glance, people would have an idea of the plot, the mood, and the tone of the film. You may get the story of the film by watching it once, but I suggest you watch it at least twice.
Pick the right font style
There are lots of beautiful type faces to choose from, but not all types are suited for every design purpose. Posters that are meant to deliver information should always come with a vivid, clean, and readable type for effective and clear communication. You can also play with type and make it the highlight of your poster. If you have a friend who’s a professional graphic designer, you might want to consult him which type fits best because their eyes are trained for that.
Use enough white space to avoid clutter
Too many texts and images can make your poster design look busy. Make sure all the visual elements are well-balanced by using a good amount of blank space in your design. White space keeps your poster design clean and more organized and allows people to focus their attention on the more important details on your prints.
Get inspiration from beautiful poster designs online
You can either incorporate the poster design to your original concept or create a whole new idea from them. But I suggest you do this after doing your first brainstorming session. You want fresh and original ideas and viewing posters online will influence and somehow box your ideas.
Learn from the experts by reading poster design tutorials
To make the design process easier, you can follow tutorials that provide a step-by-step guide to creating a poster. If you know the basics already, there are still tons of tricks you probably don’t know. Go check out some videos online if you do not want to spend big bucks on design books.
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James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD/vinyl and merch company in LA.
