Chicago Poster Critique Thanks!

MrChoob

New Member
Hey, I'm a Graphic Design student from Canada looking to learn more about graphic design and get constructive critiques of my student project. This is a poster I made for the Broadway show Chicago. I tried to go a bit against the typical Broadway branding in order to make it my own. For those that don't know Chicago (I didn't when I started this project). Its a play satirical/burlesque musical based on another play written by a courtroom reporter. Loosely based on a true story its about a wife who murders her lover and (from what I understand) tricks her husband and the courts into believing in her innocence; all while becoming famous as a femme fatale icon due to media coverage of her case. The actual branding for Chicago has a Noir feeling mixed with glam and excitement. I attempted to go with something a little darker and more mysterious while keeping with the glamour/noir elements. I'm personally not sure about the low contrast of the typography.
Chicago Poster-small.jpg

Cheers and Thanks for any advice.
 
Overall - not bad. Chicago is a famous enough play that most have heard of it, and certainly anyone frequenting a theatre would know it.

There's a few ways you can lift the text in print - by using a Neon ink for Chicago, and a Scodex for the letters.

Neon ink would make the title pop - and the Scodex is a digital way of printing a clear type of UV which means the text would reflect light - so instead of a light ink, you'd have UV type effect which would look nice in print.

Scodex
1590659475227.png


Neon inks can be found with Pantone

Or you could also Scodex over the Chicago type that's in red.

And one more trick for your print - the netting on the feet - this could also be Scodex'd to give a texture feeling.



It's worth looking into these things - it adds dimensions to the print, texture, light, etc.


Broadway posters tend to capture the mood of the play - which is important, and I think you've done that here.

But floating legs does look a bit odd and a bit Sharon Stone-esque (Basic Instinct 1&2).
 
I'm personally not sure about the low contrast of the typography.
Me neither.

The poster looks goods but my knackered old eyes had to work herd to read the words. Imagine that posted on a wall in the evening when the light isn't so good - it will just be a blank sheet.
 
Yeah I think I went for too much of a muted look.

Thanks for the replies.

@hankscorpio thanks for the tips. I honestly havn't looked into the field of printing yet so I have no idea what those are but they sound cool. I'm gonna have to do some more research on these kinds of stuff. I know its really important for a graphic designer to have knowledge in actual printing and will look into it. Cheers
 
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