From the Silent Era of film all the way up until the 1980s, hand-drawn film posters were commonplace. Crafted in painstaking detail and incredibly atmospheric, many of the posters created at this time are still regarded as iconic.

So a lot changed with the introduction of photographic posters – which also coincided with home video becoming mainstream. Studios were keen to push their leading actors as the main selling points for a film and some of the creativity around poster design decreased. 

Fortunately, with the emergence of poster design clichés, there also formed a groundswell of designers and audiences who wanted to create and see more interesting work. Tools for working with photographic images advanced, hand-drawn posters saw a resurgence and with the rise of alternative movie posters (AMPs) – we’re perhaps even in a new Golden Era of poster design.

In this environment, it seems natural that designers would experiment with posters that combine photographic and illustrated elements to engage audiences, add dimensions and tell stories. Here are some examples of what this style does best:

Comic Book Style

It’s unsurprising that illustration-photography mix posters make an appearance in films that do that exact thing. Although this filmmaking style goes way back to the early 1900s – breaking through again in the 1980s with films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – the 21st century has seen in a new popularity of films based on comic books and illustrated stories that delights in their source material as an aesthetic style.

You can see this in kids classics like Harold and the Purple Crayon as well as films for adults like Sin City. The posters make clear nods to the original work as well as establishing an expectation for the visual world of the film.

Poster design by BLT Communications, LLC
Poster design by BLT Communications, LLC, Photography by Rico Torres

Strong Vibes

Whether the film has animation elements or not, drawn features can be a fantastic way to create a burst of energy on a poster. These elements are often spiky, freeform and colourful, helping the design to feel fun and anarchic. 

Poster design by Le Cercle Noir

A Shadow of a Doubt

Illustrated elements aren’t just for fun! They can also add rich and ambiguous atmosphere and tone as well as sense of mystery. This might tie into the plot like in The Pigeon Tunnel, a documentary about spy novelist John Le Carré, where the author is surrounded by the dots and dashes of morse code, dark birds and mysterious hand-drawn red lines. Or it might be more abstract – like the textured approach to the character portraits for Gladiator II – which feel simultaneously modern and ‘aged’ – appropriate for an update on a classic film. 

Poster design by Concept Arts

Playing Nice

Of course, that’s not to discount the playful feel that illustration can add to a poster. Usually adding a bright pop of colour, it can signal to the audience that they are in for a slightly more quirky viewing experience. In the case of American Fiction, it also effectively harnesses the story – showing how Jeffrey Wright’s character Monk has to create a persona at odds with his true self.

Poster design by BLT Communications, LLC
Poster design by P+A

Part of our World

Painted or drawn parts of a poster can also just be a part of the story world. Everything from the places a character might visit (a skate park in World’s Best) to the paint an artist might use for their job (oil paint in Mr Turner) can appear in a design, adding dimension and character whilst remaining completely true to the narrative.

Poster design by B O N D
Poster design by AllCity

How do you feel about mixing illustration and photography in film posters? Striking and powerful or much too much? Only for certain genres? It could easily go wrong but I think we’ve only just scratched the surface for how it can be used. Got any great examples to share? Or terrible ones? Let me know what you think in the comments!

If you need key art and design services for your latest TV or film project, I’d love to find out more. Drop me a line anytime at adam@strelka.co.uk.