May 13th, 2012 // by Josh Miles

JFK Poster Design for the Bigger Picture show

This was my second year to participate in the Bigger Picture Show. (Kudos to the International Film Festival and Lodge for a great show!) As usual, a crop of top Indianapolis designers were called on to contribute their reinterpretations of classic movie posters.

Last year, I redesigned Psycho. This year, I was awarded the Oliver Stone film, JFK. The Kennedy conspiracy has always fascinated me, so it was a special treat to get to design a poster for this film.

Although JFK was released in 1991, it was obviously all about the sixties. So, in keeping with my self-imposed requirements from last year, I wanted to create something that felt like it might have been produced in the sixties as well: limited color palette, limited typography (Helvetica), and zero reliance on filters, drop shadows, or other effects.

Worth noting, I think this year’s collection may have been the best year so far for the Bigger Picture Show, which really sets the bar that much higher for 2013.

Oliver Stone’s film, JFK, explores the complexities and many points of view concerning President Kennedy’s assassination: how it may have been planned, executed, and subsequently covered up. Stone’s film clocks in at over three hours. It’s gritty, dizzying, and at times a little overwhelming, which I think was an ingenious way to frame such a complex story.

In redesigning the poster for JFK, I wanted to create a poster that gave a nod to the film’s tension, but ultimately felt respectful to the late President.

You’ll see below a few of my working concepts. The first played off of the theory of multiple gunmen. The second was more of a nod to the President’s legacy, and while while the third worked very well as a poster, it just felt wrong.

For my submission, I decided to go with a more understated, minimal design. The stars in the design represent Kennedy’s role as the thirty-fifth President of the United States of America.

Perhaps the final design feels more like a tribute than a movie poster. But I’m okay with that.

Have you seen the film JFK? What do you think?

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Josh Miles

Josh Miles is principal and founder of Miles Design, a branding firm specializing in branding and website design for professional services and software firms, as well as the author of Bold Brand.

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Tags: creative process, designers, JFK, movie poster, poster design