• Discover 16 Cinematic Movie Poster Templates

In spite of the 2020 pandemic slashing cinema revenue, the movie industry is bouncing back with enthusiasm. 2021 and 2022 have seen a slew of arthouse gems, blood-rushing blockbusters and no doubt future classics (see Promising Young Woman). With such a diverse range of films being released, the movie poster art is equally varied, giving viewers an immersive preview of the movie from only one static image.

• How Did They Do That?: Exaggerated Spacing for Epic Movie Posters

1. Promising Young Woman (2020)

Released at the tail end of 2020, Promising Young Woman was a Christmas present for fans of twisted and offbeat cinema. The film is a darkly provocative thriller written and directed by Emerald Fennell, that narrates the revenge story of its protagonist, Cassie. If you’ve not yet seen it, no spoilers to be revealed here, but rest assured, it’s well worth your time. 

The poster art is just as absorbing as the film itself, with an 80s-inspired style that playfully references movies such as Dirty Dancing as well as vintage horrors and hardcore movies. The alternative poster sees a blurred-out Carey Mulligan writing lipstick text onto a bar bathroom mirror, again expertly blending girlish and horror elements to intriguing effect. 

The cinematography in Promising Young Woman also has a satisfying graphic style, with the characters framed against pastel-soaked backdrops, making an unsettlingly saccharine contrast with the disturbing content of the plot.

2. The Batman (2022)

This dark and edgy take on the DC Comics franchise is deserving of dramatically moody poster art, and the designs don’t disappoint. Simple character posters are presented in a stark red and black palette, with both Batman and Riddler posing in suitably enigmatic form. White space is used generously on the designs to further emphasise the bleakness and drama of the Gotham-set film. 

3. X (2022)

A slasher movie with quirk, X follows a group of actors as they set out to make an adult film in rural Texas in the 1970s. Before long the plot descends into pure horror territory, and for slasher fans the film certainly delivers on retro gore.

The poster designs for X balance nostalgia with a contemporary immediacy. Photography is high-definition and intimate, with a barn-inspired ‘X’ aggressively placed across the portrait shots. A simple and memorable poster design that pays tribute to retro slashers. We also love the alternative poster created for the film by Sean Lazonby, which dials up the retro factor with pulp fiction styling and flat acid color.

4. Everything Everywhere All At Once

A sci-fi black comedy from the Daniels—directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All At Once follows the multi-universal adventures of a Chinese immigrant, played by Michelle Yeoh. The mesmerising poster artwork created by Taiwanese-American artist James Jean is true to Jean’s signature fantastical comic book style, with the eclectic insanity of the film reimagined in 2D format. No mean feat, but Jean’s immersive illustrations do a stellar job.

5. The Northman (2022)

The character posters released by the studio for Viking epic The Northman were edging on generic historic-action fare, but an alternative poster design created by Edgar Ascensao gives the movie’s runic typography a more fitting graphic setting.

A vintage-inspired flat style, sparse and dramatic use of primal color and story-telling imagery makes for a poster that communicates a sense of folkloric adventure.

6. Blonde (2022)

Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas as the doomed Hollywood icon, the Netflix Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde sets out to present Marilyn’s life story in a different, self-narrated light, in particular exploring the ‘widening split between her public and private selves’. 

The teaser poster for Blonde outstyles the later official posters, with its newspaper collage design, giving the audience a sense of How Marilyn was hounded by the press and her own famous persona at the height of her stardom. 

7. ELVIS (2022)

Baz Luhrmann’s highly-anticipated musical biography ELVIS is a multi-decade epic, charting the rise of the King of Rock n’ Roll, from his childhood in Mississippi to his conquering of Las Vegas as the leotard-clad legend the world eternally remembers.

The character posters for ELVIS pay tribute to the musician’s iterations, from Fifties blues singer to his bejewelled days in Vegas at the twilight of Elvismania. Ornate and baroque, with a nod to brash Las Vegas decor, the poster designs act as near-devotional tributes to the different ages of Elvis. 

8. The Green Knight (2021)

The Green Knight is an epic medieval fantasy starring Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, the headstrong nephew of King Arthur. He embarks on a quest to seek out and confront the Green Knight, a legendary figure with emerald skin, who is a tester of men. The movie is undoubtedly a bit weird, but nonetheless absorbing, and the poster artwork captures the offbeat feel of the film. Game of Thrones territory this is not, but rather an arthouse take on medieval folklore.

Graphic and restricted use of color takes a leaf out of Tarantino’s poster artwork playbook, with simplified Blackletter-inspired typography creating a finely-tuned balance between period and modernity. 

9. Little Fish (2020)

A romantic movie with a gently sci-fi character, Little Fish tells the story of a couple struggling to keep their relationship intact as a memory loss virus spreads worldwide. With an eerily similar theme to the real-life pandemic, Little Fish was nonetheless in development beforehand, but perhaps leaves a more menacing aftertaste than originally intended. 

The movie poster designs for Little Fish communicate a sense of intimate wistfulness and indie romance, rather than anything too dark, and the painterly design of the first poster is suitably ethereal. The second poster design has a more collage-inspired style which sets a more romantic mood, albeit in arthouse fashion.

10. Anonymous Club

An intimate portrayal of elusive singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, Anonymous Club takes the audience inside the world of the enigmatic Australian indie rockstar over a three-year period. Beset with self-doubt and anxiety, Barnett’s highs and lows are revealed in unflinching detail, resulting in a film that is as much about the torment of creativity as the mental pressures of fame and performance. 

The poster artwork for Anonymous Club has an elusive and spiritual style, while staying true to the trademarks of indie style, such as rough-printed typography and grunge collage. The poster communicates Barnett’s sense of self-analysis and isolation, while enticing the viewer into wanting to know more about this elusive musician.

The post The 10 Best Movie Poster Designs of 2022 appeared first on InDesignSkills.

Whatever your vibe, whether minimal or ornate, you can give your designs an instant update with a stylish pattern. Scroll down to find inspiration for using a range of design-forward patterns on backgrounds and layouts for both print and web.

Inspiration: Geometric patterns

Geometric patterns use simple shapes in a repetitive style, building up to colorful and sometimes highly elaborate designs that still retain a minimalistic quality. Geometric patterns often feature symmetry and regularity, making them feel particularly pleasant and calming to look at. 

These types of pattern work effectively for brand identities, as it is easy to apply a branded color scheme to the series of shapes in a consistent manner. Geometric patterns are a simple way to give designs a mid-century look, and take on a more vintage character when set in subdued, tonal colours such as mustard, brown, olive or navy blue.

Inspiration: Watercolor patterns

Ethereal and airy, watercolor patterns lend a handcrafted feel to packaging designs. They have a delicate, delectable mood, making them a natural fit for food and drinks products, and when used in strong monocolour they give more graphic impact and look particularly effective. 

This delicate pattern trend is effortlessly pretty and makes for designs that are airy and ethereal. Create your own watercolour patterns using watercolour paints or inks dipped in water, before colourising them in Photoshop for a more striking look. 

Inspiration: Illustrated Patterns

You can bring character and narrative to a range of designs with illustrated patterns. Illustration also allows your designs to feel more personalised and unique, as well as to give a specific mood to a layout. Woodland scenes bring a rustic, folk feel while naive, abstract designs lend a design an artsy look. 

To avoid an overly fussy style, use a limited colour scheme in your illustrated patterns and promote symmetry and repetition to make an ornate design feel calming to the eye. 

Inspiration: Marbled Patterns

Marbling is a centuries-old technique for giving paper a dreamlike, swirling, multicoloured effect. Originally used to decorate the covers and inside pages of books, marbled patterns retain a literary personality, making any design feel more luxurious and intellectual. They are the perfect fit for high-end products or artistic branding, and have a subtle adaptability that makes them more versatile than other ornate patterns. 

The post Pattern in Branding, Packaging and Graphic Design appeared first on InDesignSkills.

Luckily, we’ve put together five top tips for elevating your magazine designs and making sure they look as stylish as they are informative.

 1. Wrap Text Around Images in Unusual Ways

Feeling uninspired by the boxy limitations of a traditional text frame? Wrap text around images in unusual ways to create layouts that are less grid-like and more free-flowing. This is a great technique for better integrating photography with text to create a unified look.

Look for photos with plenty of white space to make this style work; and strong, simple outlines are easier to work with than complex or detailed ones.

Get to grips with the text wrap function in InDesign with this quick tutorial.

Design: Harper’s Bazaar US

 2. Take a Bird’s Eye View 

Make a drastic change to the angle of your photos for instant interest. Aerial shots are on-trend and utterly absorbing—they work particularly well for food and drinks titles, but travel and photo-journalism titles will also benefit from an aerial shot of a sweeping city view.

Aerial shots allow you to merge typography into the photo seamlessly—try filling those gaps with unusual headers and chunks of body text for an eclectic, creative style.

Design: Hieu Nguyen for Aww Food

See how the aerial trend is reaching new heights in the world of book cover design too.

Design: New York Times Magazine

Design: Caetano Calomino for Gloss Magazine

3. Go 3D (Psst! It’s easier than you think!)

Create multiple layers of text and images to build up a 3D look on your 2D layouts. Cut away the subject of a photo from the background and use this tried-and-tested layers formula to create a 3D look that jumps out of the page.

In InDesign, expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and create a series of layers in this order: Background of Photo, Text Behind, Subject of Photo, and, finally, Text in Front at the top of the pile. Splitting up your content in this way will help you to achieve the 3D look used in these Harper’s Bazaar UK layouts.

It’s a surprisingly simple technique to make your layouts appear instantly more vibrant and energetic. This tutorial shows you how to create a cool 3D look on your magazine designs using a simple frame and the Scissors Tool in InDesign.

Design: Harper’s Bazaar UK

4. Give Your Contents Page a Makeover

The cover might be the reason why someone initially picks your magazine off the shelf, but the contents page is the real anchor for the whole publication. The reader’s first port of call before they even get to articles and features, the contents page is an opportunity to create a style master for the rest of the magazine’s layouts, and it’s the perfect place to exercise some creativity too.

After all, nobody wants to read a long, dull list—introduce images, color, interesting typography and an unusual grid to give your contents page some life. You won’t regret spending the time perfecting this all-important spread.

Design: Matt Chase

Design: James Kape

Design: Aidan Stonehouse

5. Go Big or Go Home

The opening spread of an inside feature is crying out for big, bold typography. It makes a great pairing with dramatic photography, and choice of typeface and color can really set the mood for the whole feature.

Try an elegant sans serif like Didot for Vogue-esque appeal, or pick a rounded sans serif like in this example to make your layouts feel fun, childlike and bursting with energy.

Design: Matt Chase

Theme your typography around the subject of the article, and don’t be afraid to make it as bold, brash and loud as possible. It’s a sure-fire way to keep your readers engaged.

Design: Matt Chase

Design: Matt Chase

Discover even more pro tips for improving your magazine layouts in an instant, or teach yourself magazine design basics with our two-part magazine design tutorial.

The post Fresh Ideas for Improving Your Magazine Layouts appeared first on InDesignSkills.

These examples, from across magazine, poster and brand design, show how photography and graphic design can interact to create stunning results. Find your next photographic inspiration here…

1. OSESP Posters 

Art director Bruno Landi integrates portrait and cityscape photography with romantically scripted text to celebrate the new season of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo).

Layered gradients and opacities allow the elements to work seamlessly together, with no single image or type dominating the design.

Love posters? Then check out even more inspiring poster design here.

Design: Bruno Landi

2. Evolution Posters by Retoka

Barcelona-based designer Retoka teams dramatic dance photography with subtle, hip type design in complementary colors to give these posters an other-worldly, ethereal look.

Design: Retoka

3. Various by Bryan J Nanista

Bryan is a master at integrating typography with sweeping, dramatic photography to create layouts that always jump out at you.

Try pairing landscape photos with jaunty type design, or allowing the shape of portrait photos to dictate the placement of text to imitate the look of some of Bryan’s work.

Design: Bryan J Nanista

4. Dansem Officina Branding 

French art director Valentin Breyne gives a lesson in editing photography to make it an integral part of a graphic design layout.

For Marseille dance festival L’Officina Valentin produced a series of materials, including programmes and business cards, each featuring underwater-shot photography set alongside minimal graphic shapes and type.

Discover more awesome flyer designs here.

Design: Valentin Breyne

Discover even more fantastic design inspiration here, or learn how to create your own photographic magazine layouts with InDesign.

The post Photographic Layouts Inspiration appeared first on InDesignSkills.

These stunning designs use the power of colour to transform their layouts from dull to decadent. From dreamy pastels to glamorous metallics, read on to find out how to use effective colour combinations in your own InDesign work.

1. Choose blue to calm things down…

…Using blue tones in your print designs can give a calming effect.

Blue’s cool palette soothes the soul and promotes a sense of low-risk and trustworthiness, making it a great colour base for professional documents, like reports, and travel guides.

Here, New York-based graphic designer Brandon Nickerson teams generous amounts of white space with soothing turquoise tones for his ‘Places’ travel book.

Design: Brandon Nickerson

2. Add a vintage touch with muted colour combinations

Muting otherwise bright, bold colours (try upping the level of Key [Black] in your CMYK Swatches) can give print designs a desirable Mid-Century colour palette.

Just take a look at this gorgeous book cover design from Madrid-based illustrator and designer Tatiana Boyko. The cover for The Jungle Book is rendered in an array of colours, but no single colour overwhelms the design. Muted takes on red, blue, green and yellow, laid over a vintage-inspired cream background, make for a cover that would look right at home on a 1950s bookshelf.

Design: Tatiana Boyko

3. Play up pastels for a delectable design

Moving away from their traditionally sickly-sweet stereotype, modern pastels can now bring a gorgeously edible and fun vibe to print design. Teamed with punchy black and minimal white they make for a particularly eye-catching colour combination, which is well-suited to retail and food branding.

The youthful branding for Swedish Mexican restaurant Calexico’s, by design agency Snask, use pastel yellows, pinks and blues set against black, white and brown paper, to create restaurant branding that looks good enough to eat!

Find more menu design inspiration here.

Design: Snask

4. Up the glamour with metallic inks

Think outside the colour box and look to metallic shades of gold, silver, copper and bronze to add a decadent touch to your print designs. When using metallic inks, consider teaming them with simple black and white graphics and text – let the metallic do the talking!

Quebec design agency lg2 used a touch of bronze to luxe up the branding for the foodie Bête & Fête event. Teamed with natural paper backgrounds the designs are both aspirational and down-to-earth.

Design: lg2

The brand identity for trading company Ambar, realised by agency Look and do it, lends a special touch to minimal black graphics with a touch of gold ink added to the rim of business cards.

Design: Look and do it

5. Neon brights shout for attention!

Neon colours have a reformed reputation – once tossed into the ‘bad taste’ hole of 1980s graphic design, they now look fresh and modern, with a subtle nod to their retro past. Team neons with black-and-white photography for print designs that grab the viewer’s attention and give a sexy, youthful feel to magazine and flyer design.

To keep the neon looking modern, limit your neons to just one or two shades.

This cover for Interview Magazine Germany uses neon green typography to make the film noir-inspired photo pop.

Design: Interview Magazine Germany

This punchy city guide by German designer Axel Peemöller is a great example of limiting your use of neon to just one shade, for a high-impact, fresh, urban design.

Design: Axel Peemöller

Choice use of colour can transform your print work from bland to beautiful! Get your head around how to use colour in InDesign and how to prepare colour documents for printing. Check out more InDesign inspiration from around the world here.

The post Color Inspiration: How to Use Color in Your Designs appeared first on InDesignSkills.