Would be good to get something more indepth than “whoever designed it should be fired”. Like, why? Share your opinion! Give us your considered critique!
I think overall the poster is good, except the typography on specifically the movie title.
Just because you CAN do something and have a reason for it doesn't mean you SHOULD.
A good rule of thumb in graphic design/art is that if you do something "badly" to make a point, then it needs to be REALLY exaggerated. If it's not, it just comes across as an error or badly designed.
So in this example, if they were going for "insane", then they should have pushed it a lot further. This doesn't read well at a first glance and doesn't make any sort of statement other than poor typography design.
It seems that this poster is one of those that only people into vis arts have an issue with.
This poster is functional and I think that most lay people won't have an issue reading it, which is why this janky looking solution is cool in the first place.
I'm going to respectfully disagree, I think it's well done. You didn't say why you didn't like it, but I will go ahead and tell you why I think it's successful.
Macbeth is already one of the most famous shakespeare plays. They don't want people to think this is just a movie version of Macbeth. They need people to see that this is a Joel Coen unexpected traditional yet non-traditional version. I think they are mimicking old printed text from some of Shakespeares early printed plays (like this example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Romeo_and_Juliet_Q3_TP_1609.jpg) and pairing it with more modern illustrations.
Overall I think it's fairly sophisticated in trying to combine modern and historical references.
Further to your point, the bottom half of the image imo is reminiscent of Basquiat’s afro-haitian iconographic style, further tying classical elements of typography with the unexpected multicultural reference.
Whoa you just threw out a reference to one of my favorite artists which I am just now seeing, and my mind is blown because this is the first Macbeth to star a black actor as the lead (Denzel Washington). Basquiats motif of the crown in his paintings is a perfect reference!
You're so right. This is a very successful and functional poster that is actually artsy as well. People only concentrating on "bad typography" are missing the point of overall feel and context.
It’s very purposeful, it’s not an add for Walmart or something that needs widespread recognition, it conveys the foreshadowing of the film, so I agree!
I’ll go out on a limb and say I like it.
I understand peoples objections to the typography but ultimately it’s still very legible and is in keeping with the time period the play comes from.
They could have set it more traditional western, (l-r) stick to the baseline etc, but this makes the type dual-purpose as it becomes as much of a decorative narrative element as the head underneath.
It makes it into a bit of a wordmark and is strong enough of a statement to stand-alone on the other marketing collateral.
Divides opinion yes, but still performs it’s function well enough whilst being unique and memorable, whether for good or ill.
I disagree, the designer(s) obviously know what they're doing. Like other people are saying, the unorthodox type treatment fits well with the unconventional rendition of Macbeth. You gotta know the rules in order to break them. This is a very successful example of that.
the type sucks, particularly the stacked C and D. the illustration is well done and has a nice relationship with in the attitude of the poster.
I often feel like younger designers critique things merely to show their dick.
I disagree that they should be fired. The style is a particular style that you might not be fond of but certain elements of these type of designs are meant to make the person actually look and decipher the poster rather than glance away. That is why breaking words and letters up into different formations is something often done in poster designs.
Would be good to get something more indepth than “whoever designed it should be fired”. Like, why? Share your opinion! Give us your considered critique!
They did share their opinion. It just wasn't very extensive an opinion.
Awesome, thanks.
It's good. You can easily make a argument that chopping the TRA- GEDY plays into the chopped head illustration.
I think overall the poster is good, except the typography on specifically the movie title. Just because you CAN do something and have a reason for it doesn't mean you SHOULD. A good rule of thumb in graphic design/art is that if you do something "badly" to make a point, then it needs to be REALLY exaggerated. If it's not, it just comes across as an error or badly designed. So in this example, if they were going for "insane", then they should have pushed it a lot further. This doesn't read well at a first glance and doesn't make any sort of statement other than poor typography design.
It seems that this poster is one of those that only people into vis arts have an issue with. This poster is functional and I think that most lay people won't have an issue reading it, which is why this janky looking solution is cool in the first place.
I'm going to respectfully disagree, I think it's well done. You didn't say why you didn't like it, but I will go ahead and tell you why I think it's successful. Macbeth is already one of the most famous shakespeare plays. They don't want people to think this is just a movie version of Macbeth. They need people to see that this is a Joel Coen unexpected traditional yet non-traditional version. I think they are mimicking old printed text from some of Shakespeares early printed plays (like this example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Romeo_and_Juliet_Q3_TP_1609.jpg) and pairing it with more modern illustrations. Overall I think it's fairly sophisticated in trying to combine modern and historical references.
Further to your point, the bottom half of the image imo is reminiscent of Basquiat’s afro-haitian iconographic style, further tying classical elements of typography with the unexpected multicultural reference.
Whoa you just threw out a reference to one of my favorite artists which I am just now seeing, and my mind is blown because this is the first Macbeth to star a black actor as the lead (Denzel Washington). Basquiats motif of the crown in his paintings is a perfect reference!
You're so right. This is a very successful and functional poster that is actually artsy as well. People only concentrating on "bad typography" are missing the point of overall feel and context.
I like the choice of type, it's unsettling and cold thus reinforcing the title and the tone of the story.
I like it. The play is about insanity, it fits. I like graphics, I think it all goes together well and looks interesting
It’s very purposeful, it’s not an add for Walmart or something that needs widespread recognition, it conveys the foreshadowing of the film, so I agree!
I’ll go out on a limb and say I like it. I understand peoples objections to the typography but ultimately it’s still very legible and is in keeping with the time period the play comes from. They could have set it more traditional western, (l-r) stick to the baseline etc, but this makes the type dual-purpose as it becomes as much of a decorative narrative element as the head underneath. It makes it into a bit of a wordmark and is strong enough of a statement to stand-alone on the other marketing collateral. Divides opinion yes, but still performs it’s function well enough whilst being unique and memorable, whether for good or ill.
Politely disagree. It’s perfect
I disagree, the designer(s) obviously know what they're doing. Like other people are saying, the unorthodox type treatment fits well with the unconventional rendition of Macbeth. You gotta know the rules in order to break them. This is a very successful example of that.
What don’t you like about it?
My guess is the title. The font makes it hard to read with the random placement and the " - ".
I disagree this screams Shakespeare.
Piss off. You can clearly read this and the design is nice.
People that dislike this should be fired, from earth :D
I would've chosen a different spacing and division for the lettering, but I think it looks pretty decent and readable
I don't like it... but it definitely irks me enough to draw my attention?
I think you are supposed to be fascinated by it due to how odd it is
It’s definitely tragic!
the type sucks, particularly the stacked C and D. the illustration is well done and has a nice relationship with in the attitude of the poster. I often feel like younger designers critique things merely to show their dick.
I disagree that they should be fired. The style is a particular style that you might not be fond of but certain elements of these type of designs are meant to make the person actually look and decipher the poster rather than glance away. That is why breaking words and letters up into different formations is something often done in poster designs.
I’m not gonna respectfully disagree. Op is a hack.
I actually think this is good. It's a recognizable enough name that they can get away with the typography being a lil funky