They’re everywhere: on billboards and buses, in your morning paper and on the sides of both buildings and blogs. Jules Cheret, a French painter and lithographer, is credited with creating the first movie poster in 1890 for a short film called Projections Artistiques. And for more than 100 years, movie posters have been used to fill seats in theaters around the world by piquing curiosity and, other times, by bewildering.

But what is key art?

Key art is the main image, or images, used in movie marketing that distill a movie by branding it towards a particular target audience, and, sans the trailer, it’s the first interaction potential moviegoers will have with a film. As a graphic design agency that specializes in movie ad production, our aim is to create ads that engage, inform and, most of all, entice viewers to want to watch the film. Title treatments are designed to accompany the aforementioned along with quotes, tag lines and billing blocks, the last being part of a legal requirement. From conception to completion, design is a collaborative process involving creative direction, art direction, copywriting, photography and then production. Once a department finishes their work, it’s passed down the line, so the next department or vendor can fulfill their project obligations.

When it comes to print production here at the Bravo Design studio, we determine the best method of execution and produce comps and/or mechanicals based on concepts drawn up either here or through our affiliates, maintaining consistent file preparation suitable for mass production by publications or vendors, the last of which is done when we receive client approval. The final product can take the form of newspapers and magazines ads, standees, displays, one sheets, banners, billboards or anything of the like.

Here are some of our favorite projects from the last year or so:

To see more, check out our portfolio.