Every poster begins somewhere. This collection looks at the films, artwork, compositions, and visual ideas that helped shape Phoenix Studios’ poster designs - from color and character placement to genre, mood, and symbolism.
The Visual Inspirations Behind the Posters
Visual References
REF 01 — CHARACTER COLLAGE
— FINAL POSTER
REF 03 — COMPOSITION & COLOR
These posters helped establish the ensemble-driven, space-opera approach to the design. Character hierarchy was inspired by the sprawling cast compositions of fantasy and science-fiction epics, while the red and blue lighting creates a clear visual divide between the Decepticons and Autobots.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — COLOR & COMPOSITION
Visual References
REF 01 — CHARACTER COLLAGE
— FINAL POSTER
REF 03 — CHARACTER COLLAGE
Rather than repeating the red-and-blue division of Transformers 2, this design experiments with shape. Because the moon plays such an important role in the Decepticons’ invasion, the characters are gathered within its silhouette, turning a major story element into the frame of the composition itself.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — CHARACTER COLLAGE
Visual References
REF 01 — COMPOSITION & COLOR SCHEME
— FINAL POSTER
The original Birds of Prey posters inspired the bright colors, ensemble collage, and decision to keep Harley Quinn as the visual center of the composition. Their mixtures of turquoise, electric blue, hot pink, yellow, and neon accents gave the marketing an intentionally playful sense of chaos. For Gotham City Sirens, those ideas were kept but toned down by the more muted grays and blacks one expects from a bleak and muddled setting like Gotham City. Which in turn, helped convey that this rewrite was a bit more grounded and gritty than its real-life counterpart.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — COMPOSITION & COLOR SCHEME
Visual References
REF 01 — COMPOSITION
— FINAL POSTER
REF 03 — GLOWING EYES IN THE BACKGROUND
The composition was inspired by The Sixth Sense, particularly its use of a solitary central figure dwarfed by a larger, mysterious presence. That structure was combined with pulp detective imagery and 1950s science fiction to reflect the film’s noir mystery and J’onn’s isolation between two worlds.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — COLOR
Visual References
REF 01 — COMPOSITION & CHARACTER
— FINAL POSTER
Skyfall provided the foundation for the poster’s restrained composition, using one dominant figure against a large symbolic backdrop to evoke the visual language of espionage cinema. The Court of Owls mask replaces Bond’s iconic gun barrel, transforming that same idea into something rooted specifically in Gotham. Its blank expression and hidden eyes reinforce the secrecy of the Court, while placing Dick directly in front of it suggests that he is stepping into a world where the enemy may already be watching him.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — BACKGROUND ICONOGRAPHY
Visual References
REF 01 — COMPOSITION & COLOR
— FINAL POSTER
REF 03 — COMPOSITION & CHARACTER
The Macbeth posters inspired the image of a lone warrior surrounded by smoke, fire, and the consequences of war, reflecting the Shakespearean tragedy at the heart of Megatron’s rise and fall. The Napoleon reference helped shape his presentation as a singular historical figure - a man who rises from nothing, reshapes his world, and ultimately becomes larger than the revolution that created him. Together, the references allowed the poster to present Megatron as both tragic protagonist and future tyrant.
What I Took From These References
REF 02 — COMPOSITION & COLOR
