TV Show Poster Creation

A picture says more than a thousand words. When we started with our Black Forest Witch project, we wanted to quickly show people what we were working on. We needed a TV Show Poster. Just a single image to catch people’s attention. Here’s what we did.

To create a poster, it’s a great idea to look at other posters of TV series you already like. There are 4 qualities of amazing posters we tried to emulate. They usually:

  • . . . encapsulate the story of the show
  • . . . create an image for the title
  • . . . put across a feeling or atmosphere
  • . . . are works of art on their own
Early Sketches for the Black Forest Witch TV Show Poster
The Early Sketches for the Black Forest Witch Poster

Finding a TV Show Poster Idea

It wasn’t hard to come up with ideas for the poster. The story and the world it takes place in were already there, so we had a lot to draw upon. What was clear: A girl should be in the center, surrounded by the gloomy forest. We wanted to introduce magic and a sense of wonder.

What was hard, was the briefing for our Poster Artist Leszek Plichta. We wanted to give him all the information needed, but not too much, so he still had the freedom to come up with fresh and original ideas.

The Beauty of Early Sketches

A few days later, he came back with several different sketches. He made it very hard for us to choose. While the first and the last three sketches already look like TV Show Concepts, the second and third sketches respectively give the impression of a cinematic look, something extraordinary.

Every sketch is great in its own way, but the second one stood apart by its greenish-blue color scheme, which is out of this world.

The Excitement of the First Design

So again, we gave Leszek all the freedom in the world to draw his Digital Painting. We wanted to create an amazing design first and foremost and adjust the details later. Our dream was to create a painting with depth that would catch your eye and keep it. Something you would hang on your bedroom wall.

Black Forest Witch TV Show Poster Concept
The Black Forest Witch Poster Concept

Little Adjustments to the Poster

When the first design was finished, it was already near perfection. Only a small detail was unclear: Should the girl be facing the audience or not? We decided she should, since this story is all about Lotte’s return and her vengeance. Plus, turning towards us makes her look a bit more vulnerable. She’s not the kick-ass action hero of a Xena, the Warrior Princess yet, but a simple girl thrown into exceptional circumstances. More like Xena’s companion Gabrielle, in that sense.

Getting the Series Logo right

Of course we couldn’t stick with any regular font, we had to create a Series Logo. Creating a logo has a lot to do with corporate design. We knew that it had to show the title in an aesthetic suitable to the times the series is set in, around the 4th century A.D.

The Logo was supposed to be easily recognizeable and we chose it to be in the main color of the poster, a turquoise tint. When our designer Marija Stojkovic created the Logo, she came up with the idea to incorporate Ancient Germanic ornaments to give the word “witch” a little bit more depth and personality.

Series Logo Sketches
The Series Logo Sketches

The final TV Show Poster

The final touch for the poster were the production logos – our labels for Ergocinema, “A German Original” (to emphasize the roots of our international production), our long-time partner Filmboard Karlsruhe and the Neuer Deutscher Genrefilm movement. All were kept in the same tint, to accomodate the Series Title.

Final Poster for Black Forest Witch
The Final Black Forest Witch Poster

We hope you like the TV Show Poster and who knows, maybe you found the inspiration to create your own? Let us know your thoughts by connecting with us on Facebook.

You can also read more about the props or the visual artwork created for our series.

Sven Eric Maier
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