FUTURE NOIR

Blade Runner poster by John Alvin (American Style) 1982

“John Alvin (1948-2008) was working as an illustrator for over 25 years and it’s most famous for his work promoting fantasy, animation and sci-fi films. Over the past quarter-century, he has produced the key art of more than 125 campaigns. After studyng advertising, design and illustration, Alvin moved west and quickly found work in Hollywood. His career in poster design begun at the time when big studios were closing down and advertising campaignes were no longer handled by the studios’ publicity departments; his ability to obtain comissions when there was little demand for the work of poster artist is a testament of his unique talent. His posters are created in traditional way; they are the product of and individual vision implemented with a high degree of techical skill. This is in marked contrast to present day practice, where a single piece of film poster imagery is the product of many different hands  - those of an art director, a graphic designer and a computer animator, to name but a few. Alvin’s individualistic style can be clearly identified in the poster for Blade Runner, which gained him widepsread recognition as a master artist on the field.” (from the book - Film Posters - Science Fiction 2003)