Graphic Design Artist_John Alvin

Jessica Coughlin

Graphic Design Artist

Graphic Design

Professor Nevins

1/14/2020

John Alvin

I chose to research a graphic designer from Massachusettes called John Alvin, who specialized in cinematic artwork and poster creation. He designed movie posters for over 130 films, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Lion King, and Lord of the Rings. As a young boy, Alvin’s interest in graphic design sprung from his attraction to movie advertisements in the newspaper. He later went on to earn a graduate degree in 1971 “from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and soon after took up a job as a freelance artist” (famousgraphicdesigners.org,2). It wasn’t until a peer of his invited him to collaborate on a movie campaign for Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, that Alvin began to work on creating unique film posters. Other filmmakers soon began to notice Alvin’s work and his popularity grew. He ended up working with “some of the most prestigious film studios in Hollywood, such as Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and New Line Cinema” (famousgraphicdesigners.org,5). The reason I chose to research John Alvin is because he is the graphic designer behind the posters of many of my favorite films, and some of the most popular films of our time. His eye-catching, unique designs most certainly aided in the marketing-success of these movie campaigns.