‘Something in the Design’ – Our 10 Favorite Movie Posters from 2022
by Alex Billington
December 21, 2022
With the year almost over, it’s time to look back and highlight some favorites from the world of movies. Our writer Ethan Anderton used to publish his list of the Best Official Movie Posters, but I’m taking over and will return to highlighting some of my favorite designs. Below is my personal selection of 10 Favorite Movie Posters from 2022. These aren’t necessarily the “best” rather they’re my own favorites that stuck with me. I’m not as much a fan of minimalism (like many of my designer colleagues) as I am a fan of striking imagery – using visuals to convey a feeling, a vibe, a message. It’s not only about aesthetic, as it is how you position and place the images to tell a story. This is easier said than done, because you can’t just slap a character on the poster and call it today (this happens way too often). These 10 posters stuck with me as compelling, eye-catching, creative designs that really make me want to watch every one of the films. Check them out below.
Here are my 10 favorite posters. Full-size image can always be found on our favorite poster site IMPAwards.
Something in the Dirt (dirs. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead)
Design by Intermission [Agency]
WHAT A POSTER!! Might be my favorite design of the year. The dual imagery on the top + bottom, plus the black hole in the middle, really captures the spectacularly mysterious vibe of this clever lo-fi sci-fi indie film.
Corsage (dir. Marie Kreutzer)
Design by GrandSon [Agency]
I do not like this film at all, but this is a terrific poster. I always appreciate when marketing is bold enough to let something a bit offensive show up on a poster. This pose rocks – along with the quotes in the margins, it’s a perfect, flashy design that actually makes me really want to watch this film (which I did, and hated it).
Ultrasound (dir. Rob Schroeder)
Design by The Refinery [Agency]
I still haven’t even seen this film yet! I’m all about visually striking posters like this. Something about it just grabs me and makes me wonder WTF is going on and what the sci-fi twist is in here. Have to watch the film.
Holy Spider (dir. Ali Abbasi)
Design by [Unknown]
I have been thinking about this design ever since it debuted after the film’s premiere in Cannes. Les Nuits de Mashhad (which translates to Masshad Nights) is the French title for Ali Abbasi’s very dark, very unsettling Iranian serial killer thriller Holy Spider – based on a true story of totally crazy events in the city of Masshad.
Meet Me in the Bathroom (dirs. Will Lovelace & Dylan Southern)
Design by Mike McQuade [Website]
One of the best examples of taking a simple shot from the film and turning it into a fantastic poster. There’s something really striking about the bold, red accents and the clean typography + placement at the bottom.
Vengeance (dir. B.J. Novak)
Design by Art Machine [Agency]
The perfect poster for this underrated film (which I highly recommend watching). The visualization of the cowboy hat setup as a trap for B.J. Novak’s character is illustrated excellently and teases the plot. The film can be sold simply with this image alone, it’s intriguing enough to get your attention but never overdoing it.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (dirs. Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)
Design by James Jean for AV Print [Agency]
The classic “everyone loves this poster” favorite of the year. Aside from being as iconic as the movie itself, it’s a gorgeous piece of art that could be framed and displayed on any wall and look great for years. I also love the more you look at it, the more details you can find, hidden in every last pixel of this exquisite poster.
Watcher (dir. Chloe Okuno)
Design by The Refinery [Agency]
Simple yet stunning. A powerful image that perfectly depicts the disquieting plot of the film. It’s not easy to merge a face with another image and actually make it look better – but this pulls it off in just the right way.
Irma Vep (dir. Olivier Assayas)
Design by BLT Comms. [Agency]
Technically this is a TV series, BUT considering the series is about making a movie, I’m including it anyway. Plus this is such a movie-themed design – the film frame notches on the side, the film strip unraveling of her head. A rare example of a floating head poster that actually makes the floating head design fresh and new.
What We Leave Behind (dir. Iliana Sosa)
Design by [Unknown]
A gorgeous, powerful poster that always grabs my attention. The double layer imagery along with the fade away in his eyes where the title text is then placed is so lovely and striking. This design really impressed me.
So there you have it! A few other great designs worth featuring: Rounding (dir. Alex Thompson), Smile (dir. Parker Finn), The Silent Twins (dir. Agnieszka Smoczynska), Riotsville USA doc (dir. Sierra Pettengill), and Summering (dir. James Ponsoldt). I could always go on and on with posters. And I’d have any of these on my walls! If only I had the wall space and the money to get my favorites framed every year. Other best of the year poster lists we recommend: Creative Review’s Movie posters of the year 2022, Indiewire’s 33 Best Film & TV Posters of 2022, Brandon Schaefer’s Notable Film Posters 2022, and Mubi’s The Best Movie Posters of 2022. There are so many posters released every year, sometimes it’s hard to remember the best of the best. However, the truly unique designs usually stand out so much that other design geeks remember them and mention them over and over. Let’s continue to celebrate the art of movie posters as much as we can. Maybe we’ll be seeing a new Drew Struzan poster for the next Indiana Jones? What are your favorite film posters?
