The making of the Sex, Coffee, Cigarettes movie poster

Watching the movie, talking to the director and film crew, inviting several designers to join the project. The designers offer their first ideas.

Choosing the better alternatives and showing to the client.

Client: We need to find a plastic and visual solution that would illustrate the genre of the film—adult comedy. I want to find a plot device—a comic situation (an absurdity), maybe visible in details. It has to be provocative. It has to be funny, cause a smile. Rememberable. The picture must match the movie title, not obscure it. The poster must have an artistic idea that would blow the mind. This idea can be based on the character of one of the heroes. Or maybe on a situation from the movie.

Trying again. The name itself is sufficiently provocative, so we decide to emphasize it.

Making the name even larger, adding even more sex.

The legs as a metaphor for sex are too commonplace, we need something fresh. Maybe like this?

But the movie didn’t feature a beach, so an evening dress would look better.

The director likes the legs in a cup and the cutout dress. He suggests we photograph the same girl for the poster that we had on the sketch. The model agrees. The costume designer runs to the store for the dress and the shoes. Holding a photo shoot.

Assembling the girl from several shots and placing her on the poster.

Art director: Black shoes and red dress?

The clutch is superfluous. Making names of the actors larger, the text slightly bolder—and it’s ready for printing.