Thoburn Design & Illustration

No, not the old 2005 Daniel Powter song (although it’s been playing in the back of my head since I started this post). I’m sure I was subconsciously inspired by Pixar’s short “Partly Couldy” (the one shown before “UP”) when I had this thought about happy clouds floating along until one storms by in a really bad mood. As he spreads his lack of cheer around, the other clouds just try to stay outta his way. I wonder if Bob Ross ever painted “happy clouds” to go along with his happy trees. (for personal use)

I’ve long been a fan of high contrasting black and white design. When done properly they can create an optical illusion of sorts as our minds begin to fill in what’s “missing”. They’re stark, bold and make the statement: “I will not be ignored”. Add in a splash of red and you’ve got a guaranteed captive audience. Recently, I was asked to design a logo similar in style to the Oceans Eleven poster. While researching, I noticed this tried-and-true formula has been used for years in designing movie posters. Below are some of my favorite examples. Feel free to add any suggestions I may have missed!

Amazing poster, for an amazing film!

I love the way this “updated” version plays off the original but using simple “cut outs”.

Not the official movie poster, but I loved how it tied all of the Bond movies together using the iconic swirled circle “eye” and silhouette of 007.

Love the hint of red on the small red rose.

Ok, not red, but in the same family.

Quite possibly the best example of them all.

Frank Miller is a master artist and storyteller, and his masterpiece is Sin City. I would race to my local comic store to pick up the next issue. I couldn’t take my eyes off his artwork. The movie was a nice homage to his work.