Ahead of the release of the latest entry in the Star Wars saga, the Poster Boys pull out the history books to uncover the story behind nearly forty years of Star Wars poster art. From Howard Chaykin’s first teaser in 1976 all the way to LA’s one-sheet for The Force Awakens in 2015, Sam and Brandon look at the way designing and commissioning posters has changed with each passing year while digging into some of the franchise’s most unsung heroes. They also touch on their own history with the films, and how their understanding of the design surrounding them has evolved over time.
SHOW NOTES & LINKS
CORRECTION: The poster and sketch for the Star Wars NPR Radio Adaptation was created by Celia Strain. In this episode we mistakenly identified the artist as Celia Strong. The Poster Boys regret the error, and encourage listeners to see more of Celia Strain’s work at celiastrainillustration.com.
The Star Wars Poster Book by Steve Sansweet Suzy Rice on designing the Star Wars logo Anatomy of a Star Wars Logo
Music selections: “Bass on Titles” opening theme, Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk by Meco.
Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth.
Special thanks to producer Adrian Cobb and to our presenting partner, AIGA’s Eye on Design blog.

12: Star Wars Poster Spectacular

The Poster Boys are Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith, two designers who get together and discuss all things graphic design, share their influences, and explore and celebrate the titans of poster design history. Schaefer and Smith both work as poster designers in today’s film industry, working with clients including The Criterion Collection, IFCFilms, Oscilloscope, Death Waltz Recording Company, and Janus Films. Look as you listen by following theposterboys.tumblr.com.

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For the final episode of The Poster Boys, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith round up the most notable movie posters of 2019, celebrating some of their personal favorites while reflecting on general trends in key art, festival posters, design agencies, and other aspects of the industry. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes and exclusive content on Patreon in addition to their regular episodes. For these episodes plus much more exclusive bonus content, visit Patreon.com/theposterboys. SHOW NOTES & LINKS Movie Poster of the Week Screen Fonts Posterized Propaganda Posterwomen Newsletter Posteritati JozefSquare Music selections: “Bass on Titles” theme; Prelude from The Last Black Man In San Francisco; God Gave Rock And Roll To You II by KISS. Thank you to our patrons: Aschley Fish, Logan Norris, John Paino, That Robot Guy, Jay Shaw, Midnight Marauder, Dylan Marchetti, Christian Laliberte, Lee Turner, Mike Guzman, Jason Suzuki, Ben Toupein, Jacob Lindström, Maddox Finkel, Matthew McCarthy Film Art Gallery, DRW, Matt McKee, Matthew Goodman, Dafna Pleban, Max A. Butler, Alex Kintzle, Robert Ewing, Scott Saslow, Sean Greathead, Llenn Kohlman, Tim Cook, Joaquin Morin, Makiko, Marie Julian, Neven Udovicic, Nico, Bryan West. Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth. Produced by Adrian Cobb Support The Poster Boys on Patreon!  

59: 2019 In Review

With Martin Scorsese’s critically-acclaimed new film THE IRISHMAN hitting theaters and Netflix this month, poster designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith take a look back at the posters of Scorsese’s filmography. From his early iconic classics like MEAN STREETS and THE KING OF COMEDY to his additional DeNiro collaborations TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL, as well as his genre diversions AFTER HOURS and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD and his recent string of Dicaprio-led hits like THE DEPARTED and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, the Boys reflect on poster design trends from the late 70’s to today. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes and exclusive content on Patreon in addition to their regular episodes. For these episodes plus much more exclusive bonus content, visit Patreon.com/theposterboys. SHOW NOTES & LINKS  Hat and Beard Press: The Art of Akiko Stehrenberger  Inside Martin Scorsese’s Movie Poster Collection MOMA: Scorsese Selects Alex Griendling’s unused designs for Shutter Island Music selections: “Bass on Titles” theme; The Ronettes - Be My Baby; Bernard Herrmann - Taxi Driver. Thank you to our patrons: Aschley Fish, John Paino, DRW, That Robot Guy, Jay Shaw, Midnight Marauder, Dylan Marchetti, Christian Laliberte, Mike Guzman, Ben Toupein, Jason Suzuki, Jacob Lindström, Matt McKee, Maddox Finkel, Matthew Goodman, Matthew McCarthy Film Art Gallery, Dafna Pleban, Sean Greathead, Alex Kintzle, Scott Saslow, Robert Ewing, Max A. Butler, Unsupervised Kids - Juan, Tim Cook, Makiko, Joaquin Morin, Marie Julian, Daniel Mouton, Nico, Neven Udovicic, Logan Norris, Bryan West. Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth. Produced by Adrian Cobb Support The Poster Boys on Patreon!  

58: Martin Scorsese

It’s the Movie Posters of the 70′s - PART TWO! This month on The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith complete their annual deep-dive into American film posters from an entire decade; this time: the 1970’s. In the second of an epic two-part special, The Poster Boys round out their list of favorite and noteworthy graphic designs from a tremendous decade of key art. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes and exclusive content on Patreon in addition to their regular episodes. For these episodes plus much more exclusive bonus content, visit Patreon.com/theposterboys. SHOW NOTES & LINKS Keith Phipps’ “The Laser Age” column for The Dissolve Sam’s Myth - Process: CARLOS  Don Record: Hollywood’s Other Lost Title Designer Music selections: “Bass on Titles” theme; Bruce Langhorne - The Hired Hand original soundtrack. Thank you to our patrons: Aschley Fish, John Paino, DRW, That Robot Guy, Jay Shaw, Midnight Marauder, Dylan Marchetti, Christian Laliberte, Mike Guzman, Ben Toupein, Jason Suzuki, Jacob Lindström, Matt McKee, Maddox Finkel, Matthew Goodman, Matthew McCarthy Film Art Gallery, Dafna Pleban, Sean Greathead, Alex Kintzle, Scott Saslow, Robert Ewing, Max A. Butler, Unsupervised Kids - Juan, Tim Cook, Makiko, Joaquin Morin, Marie Julian, Daniel Mouton, Nico, Neven Udovicic, Logan Norris, Bryan West. Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth. Produced by Adrian Cobb Support The Poster Boys on Patreon!

57: Movie Posters of the 70’s - Part 2

Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith take an annual deep-dive into American film posters from an entire decade; this time: the 1970’s. In the first of an epic two-part special, The Poster Boys look at key art contributions by legendary illustrators of the era including Milton Glaser, Richard Amsel, Ted Coconis, and Jack Davis, as well as contributions from countless other designers and illustrators who created challenging and memorable poster art in an analog era long before today’s design technologies emerged. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes and exclusive content on Patreon in addition to their regular episodes. For these episodes plus much more exclusive bonus content, visit Patreon.com/theposterboys. SHOW NOTES & LINKS  Movie Poster of the Week: The American Film Theatre Music selections: “Bass on Titles” theme, Finale by David Shire from THE CONVERSATION (1974), Music from TIME AFTER TIME (1979) by Miklos Rozsa Thank you to our patrons: Aschley Fish, John Paino, DRW, That Robot Guy, Jay Shaw, Midnight Marauder, Dylan Marchetti, Christian Laliberte, Jason Suzuki, Jacob Lindström, Ben Toupein, Matthew McCarthy Film Art Gallery, Matt McKee, Dafna Pleban, Robert Ewing, Unsupervised Kids - Juan, Alex Kintzle, Max A. Butler, Tim Cook, Makiko, Scott Saslow, Marie Julian, Daniel Mouton, Logan Norris, Nico, Neven Udovicic, Bryan West, Mike Guzman, Maddox Finkel. Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth. Produced by Adrian Cobb Support The Poster Boys on Patreon!

56: Movie Posters of the 70’s - Part 1

This month on The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith celebrate the movie poster designs of Dorothea Fischer-Nosbisch and Fritz Fischer, partners and unsung heroes who designed stunning posters and programs for Atlas Films in 1960′s Germany alongside like Hans Hillmann, Heinz Edelmann, and other members of their award-winning design collective NOVUM which they founded. Displaying a range of styles incorporating expressive illustration, typography, and photography, Fischer-Nosbisch’s work connects to modern-day film poster design in refreshing and inspiring ways. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes and exclusive content on Patreon in addition to their regular episodes. For these episodes plus much more exclusive bonus content, visit Patreon.com/theposterboys. SHOW NOTES & LINKS  Film Kunst Grafik  The Poster Boys: Hans Hillmann  Music Production Podcast - Be PROlific The Beacon Cinema (Correction: Haunted Light poster by CITY SCUM) Music selections: “Bass on Titles” theme, The Third Man theme by Anton Karas Thank you to our patrons: Aschley Fish, John Paino, DRW, Jay Shaw, Midnight Marauder, Dylan Marchetti, Christian Laliberte, Jason Suzuki, Ben Toupein, Jacob Lindström, Matthew McCarthy, Scott Saslow, Matt McKee, Dafna Pleban, Mike Guzman, Maddox Finkel, Max A. Butler, Robert Ewing, Alex Kintzle, Juan Motoa, Unsupervised Kids, Makiko, Tim Cook, Marie Julian, Daniel Mouton, Logan Norris, Nico, Neven Udovicic, Bryan West. Follow Brandon Schaefer at @seekandspeak, and Sam Smith at @samsmyth. Produced by Adrian Cobb Support The Poster Boys on Patreon!

12: Star Wars Poster Spectacular

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