Theatrical Poster and Playbill Cover

Project: 
Create the promotional graphics for a theater production: CHICAGO - Teen Edition

Objectives:

• Improve your skills with basic Illustrator tools, particularly drawing with the pen tool
• Apply an understanding of the Graphic Design principles of contrast, alignment and proximity
• Communicate an idea through selection of appropriately expressive type.
• Create a visual personality through the title art and other elements
• (Work to fulfill a client's wishes, while maintaining your own artistic integrity)

Materials:
Adobe Illustrator

Parameters:

• Created in: Adobe Illustrator
• The Music Dept needs a poster/ sign, playbill cover, and t-shirt logo.
• The playbill is 5.5 inches wide x 8.5 inches high;

and the design needs to bleed off the page.
File name: “musical 2022 yourlastname playbill.eps”

• The signs are 4 x 8 feet, 2 x 4 feet and 3 x 4 feet.
  • Billboard: 4 x 8’ (48 x 96”): “musical 2022 yourlastname billboard.eps”
  • Sandwich board: 2 x 4’ (24 x 48”): “musical 2022 yourlastname sandwich .eps”

​

• File format: EPS or high resolution PDF
• The playbill cover can be full color.

 

• Work in silhouette or other vector graphics
• NO photographs, clip art, or "borrowing" from famous images of the movie or musical
• Shoot your own photographs from student models, and use those as a drawing reference.

You should relay the following information to your viewers:

Text ("Copy"):

(For the playbill:) 
Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide x 8.5 inches high (vertical)

      Burlington High School Presents:

      CHICAGO - Teen Edition
      May 20 -29, 2022
      A Music Department and Drama Club Production

------------

(For the poster and signs) 
Dimensions: 4' x 8' for fence;  2 x 4' for sandwich boards, vertical)

        Burlington High School Presents: (20% font size compared to title at 100%)

        CHICAGO - Teen Edition
        A Music Department and Drama Club Production

        Dates and Start Time (20% as big as the title)
        May 20, 27, 28 at 7:30 PM
        May 22, 29 at 2:00 PM

        781-A-FUN-TIC  (60% as big as the title)

        www.BurlingtonTheatre.com  (80% as big as the title)


Grading Criteria:

• Personal Investment (Work Habits, Ambition)
• Design / Visual Impact
• Inventiveness / Creativity
• Expressiveness / Communication
• Technical Quality / Craftsmanship

Resources:
In preparation for your own theatrical poster designs, here's a link to 50 great movie poster designs.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/10/12/50-beautiful-movie-posters/

To Start:

1. Collect images of effective promotional graphics for movies and plays. Ask yourself: what makes them work so well?
2. Collect information and visual references that relate to the subject(s) of the play.
3. Thumbnails and rough drafts (especially of figures. What poses will you need?)
4. Take photos of student models to use as visual reference for your drawings. The silhouettes should be clear, informative and expressive. Exaggerate the poses.

Helpful Resources:
Movie posters may prove inspirational. There are two books of movie posters (of movies from the 1960s and 1970s) in Mr. Ratkevich's Portfolio classroom, Room 215.

Self Critique Questions
Ask yourself these questions for each of your final executions:

• Is the concept clear?
• It is visually unique and interesting? Does it have visual impact?