This fan-made movie poster trend proves cinema is in a creative funk

A good movie poster design is the cherry on top when it comes to cinematic masterpieces – think Jaws, Back to the Future or Alien – but they're not exactly a dime a dozen. From the plague of floating heads to generic AI visuals, mainstream movie posters have had a bit of a fall from grace in recent years, but that's where the fans come in.

A new trend has been sweeping socials, which sees movie fans sharing their original movie poster designs. The originality and artistic skill put into these alternatives prove that poster design needs to break the mould and start getting adventurous – dare I say, these are better than the originals.

The trend centres around the formula "The original poster. My alternative design," which invites artists and designers to share their poster artwork on social media. From minimalist Swiss-inspired posters to bold standout graphics, each design is distinctly different from the official artwork, putting a unique spin on contemporary poster design.

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While the trend itself is a wonderful celebration of creativity, it also demonstrates how formulaic modern movie poster design has become. It seems many new film posters are more about the actors than the artistry, and yes, it makes sense to slap Timothée Chalamet on a poster to get audiences engaged, but it's sad to see beautiful graphic design overpowered by celebrity.

For more design insight, check out why horror movie poster design has a problem or take a look at the beautiful details of this Frankenstein poster.