Criterion Cover Art Designs

Hello Readers. This is it. This is the final entry (for now). I saved this entry for last because I figured this would be a fun activity to conclude on. What makes Criterion a special brand for movie lovers is the care that they put into for the presentation of their movies. It all started at with their laserdiscs in the mid 1980's to now more recently in DVD's and Blu-Rays. For this entry I will dive into Criterion's catalog and pick out some of their best looking DVD/Blu-Ray covers. I will sort the movies by spine number instead of release date. And for those uninitiated with spine number, each criterion film has a number allocated to a specific release that is shown on the spine of the package.

Modern Times, Spine #543

How do you display one of the most important films into one image? Graphic designer Sam Smith didn't overthink it -- put the iconic Little Tramp's face on the cover and put two mismatched gears over his eyes. The simplicity here really grabs my attention. I tend to not like designs that are too busy. This design is simple, direct and communicates the slapstick nature of the film.

Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Spine #821

Satirical chaos, Kubrickian style, and Cold War paranoia make this one of the memorable films ever. Before Criterion picked up this gem, I owned the 40th anniversary of this movie released by Sony pictures. The picture quality, audio and extra features were fine, but I absolutely loathed the cover. It was just unappealing to look at. What's pretty influential about Dr. Strangelove is the opening title font which was designed by Pablo Ferro. Ferro made famous for his hand-drawn lettering and would become an acclaimed movie title designer. Graphic designer, Eric Skillman wanted to stay true to Ferro's design for his artwork for the Criterion Cover of Strangelove.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBkNjtQg5WA

Videodrome, Spine #248

Videodrome is not a movie I love, but I do love this cover very much. The color bars on the side give it a nice touch and nostalgic VHS feel to it. The image that Eva Wah chose for the cover sums up the twisted nature of the film. Also, The yellow Criterion C logo in the corner stands out.

Good Morning, Spine #84

Good Morning is on this list because the DVD release had a pretty awful cover. When Criterion upgraded the transfer last year, illustrator and painter Tatsuro Kiuchi presented the simplicity in this cover at. Japanese filmmaker Ozu is known for his quiet simplicity and idiosyncratic style. There aren't a lot of covers in the Criterion Collection that have a painterly design to them so this one does kind of stand out to a lot of other covers.

Inside Llewym Davis, Spine# 794

You know, I don't think I have touched on any film in the 21st century for this entire blog. This will change now. Criterion has many contemporary films in their catalog. Inside Llewyn Davis came out in 2013 and is directed by the Coen brothers. It is a film about a folk musician trying to make a living in Greenwich Village. This cover is muted, cold and melancholic which completely matches the tone of the film. The black and grey colors is so aesthetically appealing to me. And look at that orange cat. You gotta love that.

This was a casual entry, but it was probably my most difficult because choosing only five standout covers was pretty tough for me. Criterion does an amazing job with all their covers. For those that read my blog, thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading each entry. I'm usually interested in all forms of film so I hope I was able to provide a diverse perspective on each post. I'll be gone for a while, but maybe we'll meet again some sunny day.