top of page

Create Your First Project

Start adding your projects to your portfolio. Click on "Manage Projects" to get started

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Memory Thesis Movie Posters

Project type

Poster Design

Date

Spring 2015

Client

Schoolwork

Spring 2015 thesis work by Michael Jacoby for a trilogy of posters for three different movies connected to memory: "The Sixth Sense" (1999),"The Grudge" (2004), and "A Chinese Ghost Story" (1987).

Memory Thesis Movie Posters

Memory Thesis Movie Posters

During the Spring 2015 term at Rutgers-Camden, we had to create design materials related to our senior thesis topics. In addition to a book, we had to develop other physical collateral, including a trilogy of movie posters for three different movies from three separate decades that we felt depicted our respective themes.

Although the films had to be different, each poster had to not only show our respective thesis topics in an interesting way, but also co-relate and connect to one another visually.

During the Spring 2015 term at Rutgers-Camden, we had to create design materials related to our senior thesis topics. In addition to a book, we had to develop other physical collateral, including a trilogy of movie posters for three different movies from three separate decades that we felt depicted our respective themes.

Although the films had to be different, each poster had to not only show our respective thesis topics in an interesting way, but also co-relate and connect to one another visually.

The thesis topic I chose was memory. I considered some films for the posters, including “The Grudge” (2004) and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975); the initial selection was rather random to exercise my creative thinking for thematic representation via seemingly irrelevant films.

In the end, after consulting with my graphic design professor, I ended up selecting ghost stories for my posters, rationalizing that ghosts are memories of deceased people manifested in to object or places.

With this plan, I used the former film along with “The Sixth Sense” (1999) and, trying to find a third film from a different decade and attempting to be unique, the lesser-known Hong Kong wire-fu movie, “A Chinese Ghost Story” (1987).

The thesis topic I chose was memory. I considered some films for the posters, including “The Grudge” (2004) and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975); the initial selection was rather random to exercise my creative thinking for thematic representation via seemingly irrelevant films.

In the end, after consulting with my graphic design professor, I ended up selecting ghost stories for my posters, rationalizing that ghosts are memories of deceased people manifested in to object or places.

With this plan, I used the former film along with “The Sixth Sense” (1999) and, trying to find a third film from a different decade and attempting to be unique, the lesser-known Hong Kong wire-fu movie, “A Chinese Ghost Story” (1987).

Swiss design, famous for showing whatever message was needed clearly but in a visually unique and interesting manner, was a major inspiration for the posters.

I looked for works that appeared to represent memory. One such work was the “Stand Der Ding” (2005) trilogy of posters by Tania Brill and Alberto Vieceli. In my posters, I planned to show vector shapes of objects and images I remembered from each film, similar to the building silhouettes featured in the Swiss posters.

Another piece I looked at was a poster proposal called “World of Violence” by Lorenzo Geiger, which shows red square designs in highlighting sections showing violent material in a newspaper called “Der Bund.”

The design portrays memory by highlighting certain sections of a newspaper, a form of media that is normally recycled or thrown away when done with. In this poster layout, he manages to keep portions of the newspaper, giving a more permanent home to these violent memories.

I was also inspired by the illustrations by Maria Tackman, the subjects of which are people or objects drawn in a rough, abstract manner. Her sketches look as if she recalled a detail from her mind, like a strange dream, and reproduced it in a rough drawing, trying to remember it.

Swiss design, famous for showing whatever message was needed clearly but in a visually unique and interesting manner, was a major inspiration for the posters.

I looked for works that appeared to represent memory. One such work was the “Stand Der Ding” (2005) trilogy of posters by Tania Brill and Alberto Vieceli. In my posters, I planned to show vector shapes of objects and images I remembered from each film, similar to the building silhouettes featured in the Swiss posters.

Another piece I looked at was a poster proposal called “World of Violence” by Lorenzo Geiger, which shows red square designs in highlighting sections showing violent material in a newspaper called “Der Bund.”

The design portrays memory by highlighting certain sections of a newspaper, a form of media that is normally recycled or thrown away when done with. In this poster layout, he manages to keep portions of the newspaper, giving a more permanent home to these violent memories.

I was also inspired by the illustrations by Maria Tackman, the subjects of which are people or objects drawn in a rough, abstract manner. Her sketches look as if she recalled a detail from her mind, like a strange dream, and reproduced it in a rough drawing, trying to remember it.

The series of sketches I made for the posters, featuring drawings of items or characters that reminded me of the respective films.

The series of sketches I made for the posters, featuring drawings of items or characters that reminded me of the respective films.

Early colored digital versions of the posters featuring vector shapes of various items with a drawing based on the movie in the background. The colored boxes on one poster would lead to the main background color of the next one: The squares on the "Sixth Sense" poster would have the same color as the "Grudge" background; "The Grudge" would have squares colored as the background for "A Chinese Ghost Story;" the last one would go full circle and have squares colored the background for the "Sixth Sense" poster.

Early colored digital versions of the posters featuring vector shapes of various items with a drawing based on the movie in the background. The colored boxes on one poster would lead to the main background color of the next one: The squares on the "Sixth Sense" poster would have the same color as the "Grudge" background; "The Grudge" would have squares colored as the background for "A Chinese Ghost Story;" the last one would go full circle and have squares colored the background for the "Sixth Sense" poster.

For the final posters, I ended up connecting them visually (and perhaps also literally) with red boxes inspired by the “World of Violence” poster, placing the colored illustrations in the background and the vector objects inside the boxes. Following advice from visiting professional graphic designers, I added photographs representing elements into the posters.

I reinforced the memory topic typographically, after doing some research, by using a strange-looking typeface, Caslon Swash, and by blocking letters and parts of them to see if the audience can still recall the whole title regardless (assuming they didn’t look up at the credits section of the posters first).

For the final posters, I ended up connecting them visually (and perhaps also literally) with red boxes inspired by the “World of Violence” poster, placing the colored illustrations in the background and the vector objects inside the boxes. Following advice from visiting professional graphic designers, I added photographs representing elements into the posters.

I reinforced the memory topic typographically, after doing some research, by using a strange-looking typeface, Caslon Swash, and by blocking letters and parts of them to see if the audience can still recall the whole title regardless (assuming they didn’t look up at the credits section of the posters first).

How my poster for "The Sixth Sense" would look in public.

How my poster for "The Sixth Sense" would look in public.

How my poster for "The Grudge" (2004) would look in public. After deciding to use the red box designs in all the posters, I laid them out on this poster first, to give an appearance of the Flag of Imperial Japan, inspired by Chip Kidd's similar design for the American cover of the book "Ringu."

How my poster for "The Grudge" (2004) would look in public. After deciding to use the red box designs in all the posters, I laid them out on this poster first, to give an appearance of the Flag of Imperial Japan, inspired by Chip Kidd's similar design for the American cover of the book "Ringu."

How my poster for "A Chinese Ghost Story" would look in public.

How my poster for "A Chinese Ghost Story" would look in public.

Here is how my posters look visually connected while together. This connection works in any order and in any orientation.

Here is how my posters look visually connected while together. This connection works in any order and in any orientation.

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

bottom of page