I finally got why my friend only looks at old movie posters for layout ideas

I was complaining about a grid feeling stale to a designer pal in Portland, and she said 'modern stuff just recycles, but those guys had to solve the problem with zero references.' I've been pulling from 1960s Polish film posters for a week now and the compositions are way more interesting. Where else do you find design solutions that feel totally disconnected from current trends?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_flores17d agoTop Commenter

Read an article about designers looking at old instruction manuals and technical diagrams. The way they fit complex info into small spaces with simple graphics is brilliant. It forces a clarity that feels totally fresh now. I've started checking out vintage cookbooks for the same reason, the layouts are just about getting the job done.

uma_torres4617d ago

Ugh I totally disagree. Those old manuals are a mess of tiny print and confusing drawings. Half the time you need a magnifying glass just to read the steps. That's not clarity, it's just cramming too much in. Fresh? They feel dated and frustrating. My grandma's cookbooks have recipes all over the page in no order, it's chaos. Getting the job done badly is still getting it done badly.