Posterwire.com is a movie poster weblog. From images of the latest Hollywood one-sheets to vintage movie posters, this film poster weblog hopes to offer a bit of insight into film key art.
There is a very short list of famous movie poster illustrators: So far we’ve mentioned Drew Struzan, John Alvin, and Richard Amsel. Adding to this very short list of commercial illustrators impacting movie poster design we come to artist Bob Peak.
By the 1950s, Bob Peak had already gained fame as a leading commercial illustrator for periodicals and print advertising, including clients like Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, and Winston. His graphic style of illustration, including his talent for conveying a sense of fashion and style in his subjects, made him a favorite of commercial art directors, which lead to the ubiquitous style label: “the Peak look”.
In the 60s, Peak began his long and distinguished career in movie poster illustration, with over 130 one-sheets to his credit. His artwork for My Fair Lady was the first movie poster to win an award from the Society of Illustrators. Constantly in demand by the studios, some famous Peak movie posters include: Superman: The Movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, and Excalibur. While his style was constantly changing, some of the earmarks of a Bob Peak movie poster include: graphic outlines, strong and saturated color schemes, and an uncanny use of negative space.
Hmm. The Bob Peak official site seems to be down for the moment — have no idea why.
I’ve always been a big fan of Peak’s work. His posters for Superman and Star Trek: The Motion Picture are simple yet stunning.
[...] Bob Peak was one of the bedrocks of classic movie poster illustration. His key art and promotional artwork for films includes West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Camelot, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Superman, and Apocalypse Now. [...]