Happy 2024 everyone! As we dive into a fresh new year – film studios, marketing teams and of course, freelancers – are looking for the hottest design trends to build hype. So, to help you get into the swing of things, I’ve analysed some of the fresh new posters of recent and upcoming releases to see what’s making waves right now in poster design.

Move Closer

A lot of new posters feature intimate and/or sensual imagery that draws the eye and piques the viewer’s interest. These images offer a tantalising glimpse into the storyline and promise an emotive and visceral film experience. In posters like ‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’, you can’t even make out how many bodies you are seeing – pulling you deep into the image and making you feel a part of it. 

The Iron Claw by GrandSon, Housekeeping for Beginners by ARSONAL, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt by P+A

Sunshine Yellow Typography

Not usually a conventional choice, vibrant yellow typefaces have been popping up a lot and this trend doesn’t seem to be going away. This style hasn’t been attached to a particular genre, appearing in film posters as diverse as ‘Maestro’, ‘Eileen’ and ‘Fall Guy’.  Bright yellow on a film poster is often a signifier of a quirky indie film – so using this hue in a limited way could suggest that the viewer is in for a more offbeat experience than might be expected.

Maestro by Empire Design, The Fall Guy by LA, Eileen by GrandSon

Misty Blue

Deep, soft focus blues are making a splash this year. This colour palette is fantastic for creating a mysterious, nocturnal atmosphere as in ‘All of Us Strangers’ and ‘Night Swim’. It can also channel feelings of love and nostalgia especially when used in conjunction with an emotionally resonant image and a contrasting soft pink.

Good Bad Things by The Robot Eye, Night Swim by LA, All of Us Strangers by Intermission Film

Interesting Interactions

Although the galleries of floating heads or the line up of stars are still probably the most popular choices for showing the cast, there is definitely a trend for seeing characters juxtaposed or interacting in much more interesting ways. This ranges from subtle choices like Jenna Ortega blankly gazing at Martin Freeman in ‘Miller’s Girl’ to a twist on a conventional style with a hand entering the frame in ‘Self Reliance’. It can also offer up an uncomfortable experience, as you can see in ‘St Vierja Academy’ that brings to mind the poster for ‘The Graduate’, inappropriately sexualising the young protagonist.

Miller’s Girl, Self Reliance by Bangers & Mash, St. Vierja Academy by The Robot Eye

The Gory Details

Rather than putting their bloodiness front and centre, many current posters have been economical with their gruesome imagery.  This can cleverly imply a black sense of humour when contrasted with a more composed scene – like the sedate tea drinking in ‘The Brothers Sun’. It can also provide an intriguing teaser for the film’s narrative, leading us to wonder ‘whose hand is that?’ in both ‘Fallout’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’.

Fallout by Little Giant Studios, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire by B O N D, The Brothers Sun

All Alone

This trend isn’t going away. A figure posed in isolation against the backdrop perhaps reflects a popular narrative of our time – an outsider fighting against the odds, but it also shows an increasing confidence from films of all budgets to trust the narrative and focus on storytelling over cast to sell the experience. 

Damsel, Spaceman by P+A, Drift by Leroy & Rose

So that’s what caught my eye. What do you think these trends? Is there a recent poster that really grabbed your attention? What was about it? Let me know in the comments!

For graphic design services for your film or TV project, drop me a line at adam@strelka.co.uk.