"Star Wars" Movie Posters by Olly Moss

For the three nerds that still aren't aware of Friday's (12/17) internet-melting announcement, Mondo has commissioned fan favorite artist Olly Moss to do full-size movie posters for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  Commence freak out.  Olly Moss really did a bang up job on all of these prints although I think the Return of the Jedi poster may be my favorite.  A very hearty thanks go out to WIRED for breaking the story, Mondo for commissioning the piece and of course Olly for completely killing it with his stellar designs.

Star Wars

Well this is a gorgeous print.  We've got an outline of a rather dapper looking C-3PO with a wide shot of some beautiful Tatooine scenery, as well as the planet's two suns (AKA the droid's eyes).  Olly Moss really is the master of the clever composition.  He takes shapes and space and can somehow turn what would normally be a boring square or triangle into a character or iconic cinematic moment.  I'd really love to see his process because his brain clearly works better and is entirely more creative than mine could ever hope to be.  I wonder what else he was able to sneak in to this poster?  Moss's ability to shape complicated, and often astute, imagery out of simple and straight forward elements has been his biggest strength in my opinion, but that doesn't mean he's a one trick pony.  Not at all.  His color choice always seems remarkably appropriate for whatever the subject may be and his use of texture gives much of his Mondo work a sense of authenticity and depth.  Whether it be the strong orange in his Rolling Roadshow posters or the retro green predominantly featured in his Lost art print, one thing is for sure: the man knows how to make a captivating image.

The Empire Strikes Back

Another wonderful print.  In many ways I feel like Olly Moss is the anti Tyler Stout.  His designs are always super clean and modern looking, unlike Stout's posters, which are usually filled to the brim with content and bursting with detail.  I am in no way saying that one is better than the other, in fact it's reasons like this that I love and respect Mondo and the artists they choose to work with - diversity is good!  The Empire Strikes Back poster features the iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett and his menacing silhouette, which just so happen to be housing the Cloud City in this wonderfully conceived design.  And again, Moss has cleverly used one of the simpler elements (Cloud City) in the picture to inform the other (Boba Fett's helmet).  There's really nothing I can pick out in any of these posters to complain about.  They're all brilliant.

Return of the Jedi

This is my favorite of the bunch.  I can't exactly place why I like it so much, although I think it may have something do with the fact that it's somewhat similar to his The Evil Dead movie poster, the crown jewel in my art collection.  And this is probably fanboy heresy, but I've got a soft spot for Ewoks.  They're adorable, they're kind of badass in a very juvenile way, and I used to have a cocker spaniel that sort of looked like Chief Chirpa.  Also, this poster features freaking Darth Vader.  Is there a cooler character in the entirety of the Star Wars universe?  Finally, Olly Moss has done a great job of creating a new and sleek looking poster for a classic film series, while also retaining the original whiz bang sense of excitement we all had when first watching the original trilogy.  This in large part is thanks to his use of the original title typography and his own authentic nerdcentric point of view, something which he has proven again and again.  I'm definitely planning on getting all three of the posters, but this is the one I'm REALLY gunning for. 

Olly probably summed it up best when describing his inspiration and excitement in making these posters to WIRED.

"It was so intimidating!  There is such a wealth of great Star Wars art out there already, from paid professionals and from enthusiastic fans.  I suppose my main aim was to make a set of Star Wars posters that were a little different from what people are used to seeing from the franchise, but still retained that essential Star Wars feel.  I started by re-watching the original movies with a sketchbook on my lap, and just sort of went from there."

Olly Moss's Star Wars posters will be available through Mondo on Monday (12/20) for $50 a poster.  If you've got the bankroll, you can snag all three for $150.  The posters measures 24” x 36”, are out of an edition of 400 and will surely sell out within minutes if not seconds.  Be sure to keep your eyes on the @MondoNews twitter feed and/or sign up for Mondo's newsletter to get the scoop.  When you have some free time also be sure to check out Olly's portfolio site and BigCartel store.  May the force be with you.