From Dune to The Batman, we've seen some pretty spectacular film posters over the last twelve months. But often the older ones are the best – and taking things right back to 2000, this awesome American Psycho ad is killing it on Reddit right now.
At first glance it just looks like an American flag with the stripes depicted as streaks of blood, right? That would be clever enough – but look a little closer, and it's even more ingenious than that. Like all of the best print ads, there's more going on here than first meets the eye.
Computer, enhance (Image credit: TVNZ 2)
See those buttons? See how the stars are actually printed on fabric? That's right, what you're looking at is a shirt and tie – presumably belonging of one Patrick Bateman. And that blood presumably belongs to one of his victims.
Designed by Saatchi & Saatchi NZ for New Zealand's TVNZ 2, the ad recently resurfaced on Reddit – where it's proving bloody popular (sorry). "I wanted to find something wrong with it. It's just perfect," one user comments, while another adds, "When I saw it was a tie, I gasped." "Design home run," one user succinctly sums it up.
Indeed, there's nothing like a seamless optical illusion – especially one that so perfectly captures the essence of the subject. Just like the Boston album cover that recently set the internet alight, this one is designed to make you double – nay, triple, – take. It's no surprise that the American Psycho ad won Gold in the 2009 AXIS awards.
Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.
