best posters/design

[Nath]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 2:30am

Just curious to hear what people think are the best posters/logos for broadway shows...?

I think the Chicago one is fantatsic, so simple yet has the ability to change and adapt to casts and times!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 2:34am

RENT, Wicked, Cats, Les Miz...

[queenie2]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 5:35am

I think the posters of wicked and chicago are great.

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 5:51am

CHICAGO DEFINATELY deserves a mention.

I think RENT has a really awesome, well-done, effective design.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 7:17pm

I thought Urinetown was cool. And i like the CD cover of Light in the Piazza, not so much the "poster" design.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 7:23pm

Light in the Piazza
RENT
Chicago

[Nath]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 7:34pm

I am curious to know how companies get the work and the process involved (is anyone involved in it?). How much freedom teh designer has, how much they are told about th shows etc...

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 7:38pm

I love the GYPSY poster (bernadette Peters) ....not the dark black but the Purple/Pink one...I also like the posters for 42nd Street (shadow waltz), The Lion King, Assassins, Chicago, and Thoroughly Modern Millie

[kate2]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 8:40pm

i like the cover of the All Shook Up playbill and CD. its bright and cheerful! :)

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 9:26pm

wouldn't that be an awesome job! to design the logos for Broadway shows!!!

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:08pm

My favorites are the RENT and Wicked posters.

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:19pm

I loved the Caroline or change poster!

Also, SIDE SHOW and WONDERFUL TOWN had great posters that represented the show!

[Patronus]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:22pm

I agree that the CD art of Piazza is stunning, but I am not too big a fan of the windowcard art.

My favorite window cards are:
Rent (Original)
Assassins (Broadway)
Wicked
Working
Guys and Dolls (Revival)

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:23pm

The "Nine" revival.

[vjRichie]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:33pm

long and difficult or done in no time and very easy. It depends on what the client wants and how to convey that message.

It starts with making a list of what the client wants/needs. A set of roughs can be done, another meeting with client to pick a direction or start over. Roughs are done in a more clear mock-up format and then hopefully within a few tweakings the final design is done. It's much like writing a script, try ideas, rewrite ideas, fine tune ideas, take it to Broadway!

There was somewhere, on the glorious www, the process of how WICKED got to what they have. Some designs gave too much of the plot and others were just not very "catchy". There were about 6 different designs done before choosing what you see now.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:36pm

I believe that piece on the different Wicked posters appeared in Show People magazine.

And you don't have to be a Broadway designer to do what they do, you know...

For the record, I don't think any logo or design touches the Phantom's mask in terms of mass appeal, recognizability, and matching the tone of the show. The Cabaret logo with the little peeping emcee was pretty spot-on too. Updated On: 8/15/05 at 11:36 PM

[vjRichie]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:51pm

probably on the official site at one time...

[Conor]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 11:56pm

I so agree! Phantom has such a recognizable logo, and I love it. I"m also a big fan of Les Miz's logo, especially when they dress the girl up in foreign outfits, I always found that amusing! To be honest I think Wicked's logo is over rated.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 1:57am

broadwaybelter, that is my dream job!

"And you don't have to be a Broadway designer to do what they do, you know..."

So do they just go to design firms or something? I would love to do this, but I wouldn't really know how to get into it.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 2:11am

there are lots of avenues into graphic design. You can get a degree in it and try to work for a design firm that gets those sorts of contracts, or you can approach theaters, get jobs, and work your way up. I've been able to design posters for about 30 productions now (none of them on Broadway, of course, or even anything larger than a high school or community theater), but I do get to do the same type of thing those designers do, which is work with directors and producers on visual concepts that will sell their shows. If it's your dream job, start playing with it now and you'll find a way to make it your career.

[ComingUpRoses]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 9:18am

In my opinion, the all-time classic Broadway logo design is the stunning artwork for the original production of FOLLIES.

[vjRichie]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 9:34am

If you are take some art classes, get a base for art and visual communication - graphic design. Read/buy books on posters and graphic design. I personally like to buy books and build my own library.

Get a firm grasp on sketching. In today's "computer age" too many people are getting away from using the pen and paper. Computer and software should be the tool for final design work...getting those sketches into a final look.

Speaking of computers. Graphic design uses a lot of memory, so get one with at least 512MB of memory or higher. I recommend an Apple Powerbook. Most designers use Adobe's Illustrator or In Design. Photoshop is great also. I also use CorelDraw, more than I use Illustrator. One more item, get a drawing tablet, it's a piece of computer hardware that lets you virtually "draw" on the screen. The tablet can wait until you've mastered the design software first and is not a MUST HAVE right away.

As far as College: Columbus College Of Art & Design is one of the best as are others too many to mention here.

Good Luck

[Sant]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 9:44am

CATS

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

CHICAGO

WICKED

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (white silhouette of the Beast with a rose)

THE LION KING

[stagebeauty]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 9:52am

aida poster.
no doubt

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 8/16/05 at 11:09am

I've always loved the artwork for La Cage Aux Folles, both the original and the revival.