Nick Barclay’s Abstract Movie Posters
The graphic designer breaks down classic movies into simple circles
Sydney-based art director Nick Barclay branches outside his traditional covers and spreads for international magazines and political campaigns for something a little more playful. In his latest endeavor, the designer has re-imagined classic film posters, applying an interesting circular twist on regular artistry. The collection contains pieces—or perhaps better described as abstract representations—for films from “Reservoir Dogs” to “The Matrix” to “Pulp Fiction” and “Trainspotting” for a total of 14 in the full collection. Each poster is like a small, visual brain-teaser, rewarding the viewer with a chuckle when they recognize the spine-chilling red eye of Hal 9000 to the delightful familiar colors of the Monster’s Inc monsters.
Each poster contains information pertinent to the film itself, including the release date, production cost and amount of money earned—using just circles, with variations in size, number and color. “It was after sitting for a painful three hours of watching ‘Interstellar,’ I was talking to a friend about ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and how a circle can be a main character,” explains Barclay. “I’d like people to see the humor and the idea. I like my work to be informative, but also have an idea so people have an ‘Ahh!’ moment and engage with it more. I was surprised how many films I could actually use, the more I researched it, the harder it came to cut them down to just 14,” continues Barclay, citing cut examples such as “The Ring” and “The Exorcist.”
We’re eager to see Barclay extend this collection and include more recent films—Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” is ripe for interpretation. Shop the entire collection from Barclay’s webshop where posters start at AUD $30. His geometric, minimalist cocktail recipe prints are also worth a look.
Images courtesy of Nick Barclay
