12: Star Wars Poster Spectacular

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.