Taking a Look at Outstanding Artworks for Movies, Games, and Albums
A long time ago before the internet, the first interaction between people and a movie, a video game, or an album was its cover; here are some of the bests. Please note that this blog post will only talk about the cover artwork merits and make abstraction of the quality of the piece it is promoting: a bad movie can have a fantastic poster.
Movies
Back in the days when movies’ pre-shows didn’t exists and very few trailers were played before a feature, seeing a poster for an upcoming film in a movie theater was very exhilarating.
Metropolis
Fritz Lang’s movie is a masterpiece on many levels: from the production design to storytelling, the scope of it is immense; the poster is the quintessential reflection of its time.
Jaws
It’s a very interesting poster: it portrays accurately the tonality of the movie yet shows the shark in plain sight which is the opposite of how it is depicted in the movie..
The Rocketeer
A retro-inspired poster for a movie reminiscent of 40s serials is a match made in heaven. It was so different and refreshing compared to the posters that came out in the same era.
The Silence of the Lambs
One of the most beautiful aspects of this poster is how many layers there are to it. Under an unassuming composition lays many complex elements relevant to the intrigue of the movie.
The Dark Knight
Very few posters dare to solely feature the main antagonist at the front and center of a piece promoting a movie. This one also shows one of the iconic lines of the movie.
Video Games
How many kids have bought a game with an exciting box art sparking their imaginations then dashed their dreams when they realized the games they were advertising were mediocre.
Doom
The grandfather of FPS had an outstanding cover conveying perfectly the struggle of its overwhelmed protagonist.
Ico
If the US cover art is widely considered a joke, the rest of the world was graced with an art piece as original as the game itself.
Grand Theft Auto III
In an age where all box covers look the same, Grand Theft Auto is one of the few series staying true to its roots when it comes to its visual language.
Heavy Rain
Very simple and clean; the origami piece at the front of the cover is the embodiment of the mystery at the center of the game.
Gravity Rush
This cover conveys the unique gameplay mechanic of the game in a simple way; it’s uncomplicated and very effective.
Albums
Continuing on this nostalgia-fest, before digital downloads was the only way to buy music, album covers were supposed to convey how the songs not played on the radio were like.
Abbey Road
Very few album covers have inspired so many real life copycats as this Beatles’ record.
Dark Side of the Moon
The cover is a design masterpiece; it’s elegant and minimalist yet so iconic.
War
U2’s landmark album is very simple but embodies the saying eyes are the window to the soul.
Nevermind
The most iconic album cover of my teenage years is still to this day one of the most relevant statement about the era it is a child of.
Breakfast Can Wait
Only Prince would put a photo of Dave Chapelle impersonating him on the cover of one of his albums. Brilliant!
