From the get go Avatar was intended to represent a heightened level of technology and a whole new viewing experience. Set in an alternate universe where a race of part human, part alien species have physical, emotional and spiritual powers far advanced to humans, James Cameron knew that the advertising for this film was going to have to represent something spectacular and mysteriously unearthly.

With that in mind, here was one of the posters used in the Avatar campaign. Simply picturing one of the Pandora natives, this picture doesn’t need anything more than this one mystical face to capture a viewers attention. With blue skin, terrifically bright green eyes and intriguing dollops of light tracing their way across this Na’vi’s face, the image looks very real and foreboding. What really captured me here was the way the Na’vi’s (I think this is Zoe Saldana’s Avatar, Neytiri) face leaps of the page as if it is 3D rather than an ordinary 2D image. The importance of making this image pop was huge to stay in keeping with the kind of viewing technology this film represented.

The use of black in the background makes the face even bolder and unearthly and light is used in a very unusual way. Rather than introducing any natural light into the image, the artist has made the Avatar’s skin glow which further separates this face from a human species. And the extremely large and bright eyes of the Avatar make this species seem as if it knows something you don’t, staring boldly off the page.

Overall I believe the artist did a terrific job of creating an image that would have lasting results and would encourage its viewers to seek out further what this movie was all about. With limited wording, the information is simple. “From the director of Titanic” is a smart move that instantly wins over a whole audience that have seen and loved Cameron’s Titanic for the historic masterpiece that it is. This one sentence ensures the viewer that the advertised movie will not disappoint – or at least that there is something new and special to be seen.

Lets see what Mr James Cameron will come up with next…

I really like this poster because it shows how well subtly can work when it’s executed well. The red circle in the symbol for the ‘rising sun’ on the Japanese flag and cracks represent the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The typography is small and simple, but the message is clear and concise.The white space really adds to the simple effect and bold red color of the rising sun draws your eye in from a distance. I also like the dusty edges of the frame that break the white space evenly, but still everything is very subtle. The type, although small, pops because of it’s isolation on the page.  I think the mix of powerful symbolism here and the simple message make the audience draw a conclusion very quickly about what the message the poster is trying to convey.

help japan poster