The Making of 7 Iconic Movie Posters

The design inspiration for Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Do The Right Thing, and more.

by Tony Pierce

The first images you saw of movies as diverse as Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Do The Right Thing were all created by the same man — and you probably don’t know his name.

That man is Tom Martin, a veteran art director who designed thousands of iconic movie posters, billboards, DVD covers, and other pieces of graphic art for movies in the course of his 30-year career.

Martin’s Hollywood story actually began in Ohio in the 1970’s, where he art directed print advertisements and a magazine for a local publisher. When that publisher decided to move to Los Angeles, Martin went along for the adventure.

But in Los Angeles, he quickly tired of designing for magazines and took a job at a small boutique agency where he created a poster for Dressed To Kill — his first movie work.

His work got him noticed and eventually landed him a job at Universal Pictures as a co-creative director and, later, senior vice president.

In those roles, he created imagery for dozens of films and campaigns.

Now, the inspiration for much of that work will be maintained forever as Martin recently donated his collection of sketches, posters, and drawings to The Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library where they will be preserved and made available to researchers.

Martin’s collection offers a glimpse into the world of movie poster design from 1980 through the present, while his papers reflect the transition in design processes from the use of photomechanical layouts to digital compositions.

Following are some of the stories behind his iconic work.