Graphic Design in Film

A little while ago, I stumbled on a talk by the graphic designer for Wes Anderson’s animated feature, Isle of Dogs. Unfortunately, I can not find that video anymore… But it blew my mind!(here is an article on the topic instead)

Never before had I thought about the world of graphic design in the universe of the film industry, but of course it makes sense! Fictional worlds need graphic designers too.
After hearing that talk, I knew it was something I’d love to do one day – but didn’t give it much more thought.

This week, I found another talk on the subject. Ironically, it was a designer working on another Wes Anderson film, but this time it was The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The designer, Annie Atkins, talks about her experience as a designer, her accidental path into the film world, and the movies she’s worked on over the last 10 years in the industry.
She goes in depth on what it’s like to design for a film. The timeline, expectations, duties. She talks about prop making and materials, and her processes for different types of work.

One thing that stuck out to me was her thoughts on hand-made vs. machine made. If things were made by hand in the time period she is designing for, she’s determined to make them by hand now. On paper, without a keyboard or computer. If things were made with any sort of machine, though, such as a printing press, she’s okay to cheat and create them with her own machine. Much more advanced though it is.

It was a great talk, and it’s a cool career. It is now officially on my bucket list to be a graphic designer for a film one day.