You may have heard of the phrase “floating head” poster before, but if you haven’t, let me give you an example.
Superhero and action movies are the main culprits of these “floating head” poster designs. Take Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame’s poster as an example. Notice how the poster contains its characters but never in full? These photos of the characters are also often stacked upon one another, creating a sort of “tower” of bodies.
This is what is known as a “floating head” poster, and its growing popularity in Hollywood films can’t be ignored.
What makes a floating head poster a floating head poster?
Here is my list of what elements qualify for a poster to be a “floating head” poster
- Poster features many of the film’s main characters
- Characters’ bodies are not fully shown and are cut off
- The characters are built on top of one another in a way that makes a “tower.”
- Doesn’t reveal much about the film itself
Why do floating head posters exist?
To highlight the actors
Many movies with these posters are often big-budget blockbuster films. And with big-budget blockbusters come big-name actors and actresses. These posters’ intentions are to present the actors at the forefront of the movie’s marketing to pique the interest of moviegoers.
It’s a fact that famous actors and actresses can severely impact a film’s success, so designing marketing materials, like a movie poster, is important to increasing the financial success of a film. Especially with the cost of obtaining big-budget actors, it’s even more important that films make a return on their investments.
They are easier to create
Traditionally, movie posters were designed by artists who would create posters without the digital technology of today. These posters were often hand-drawn, painted, and printed. The rise of floating head posters demonstrates the shift of Hollywood movie posters, with an emphasis on displaying the recognizable faces of actors at the forefront. The more artistic styling of old posters, in reality, is a lot more time-consuming than creating a poster using the ever-expanding digital software.
Floating head posters aren’t new
Floating head posters aren’t a new phenomenon, but the way they are created and look is different.
An example would be the contrast and difference between these two Star Wars posters.
Old floating head posters
The original Star Wars poster utilizes the elements of a standard “floating head” poster, but what makes it unique is its method of creation. This poster is hand-drawn, and its composition of the characters is cleaner and more concise.
New floating head posters
The most common critique of modern floating head posters is that there is too much going on. Whether it be too many characters, graphics, etc., these modern-day floating head posters feel jam-packed with characters, filling up any negative space.
This modern interpretation of floating head posters loses the artistry of what made the old designs unique. However, taking photos of characters and organizing them into a cohesive image is far easier than the hand-drawn art and composition skills needed to create a vintage floating head poster.