Moreover, the crooked, irregular typography is reminiscent of the piecemeal lettering of a ransom note, evoking the criminal element explored in the film.

The silhouettes convey an element of mystery while also providing a rough sketch of the filmвЂ™s plot elements, as Vertigo deals with a private eyeвЂ™s crippling fear of heights while on contract to tail a mysterious woman. BassвЂ™ minimalist design approach aimed to distill a filmвЂ™s subject matter to a few symbolic elements, often employing simple, high-contrast color palettes. Vertigo is a critically adored psychological thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that also garnered the minimalist style of prolific poster designer Saul Bass a great deal of praise. Combined with the heavy use of empty, watery space, the same sense of isolation and helplessness from Jaws is capitalized on -В with an added touch of voyeuristic creepiness. The same contrasting palette is put to work, but the heavy vignette and POV perspective of the surfer from below, which puts the viewer in the place of the predator, create a more ominous tone. Both promos are fairly explicit in suggesting whatвЂ™s to come, and The Shallows takes more than a few cues from KastelвЂ™s classic design. вЂњWhat was once in the deep is now in the shallowsвЂќ reads the tagline for The Shallows, a possible nod to the forefather of shark-terror films which took place largely on a single, not-big-enough boat. To this effect, the sharp contrast of the cool blue ocean and blood red text works to draw in the eye and foreshadow the ensuing bloodbath that serves as the crux of this particular brand of summer movie. The poster prominently conveys the conflict of the film, casting the toothy antagonist in full view as he closes in on the first of many unwitting victims.

WeвЂ™ve compiled the theatrical release posters of six big-budget movies from the past decade and matched them to their spiritual and stylistic predecessors to illustrate the ways that poster design has evolved - or endured -В over the years.ДЄrguably the most recognizable piece of its kind, designer Roger Kastel employed a cutaway perspective and symmetrical layout to convey the isolation and helplessness of the open ocean in 1975вЂ™s Jaws. ThereвЂ™s nothing new under the sun however, and just as films themselves can sometimes feel familiar, poster design often draws inspiration from past successes. While imagery is the most straightforward means to achieve this (the plot of Jaws was likely no surprise to anyone whoвЂ™d seen the poster), typography, color, and composition also play important roles in defining the tone and character of a film upfront. The task of a movie poster is no easy one: convince a wide range of people to invest their time, attention, and money in a two-hour film within the confines of a small, 2-D space.

The shallows full movie no sign up