When a new movie comes out, one of the crucial marketing elements is the poster. The images, the words, even the fonts can be crucial to the studio’s hopes of getting moviegoers into the theatres. The MSU Museum currently has an exhibition of posters designed by Art Sims, a native Detroiter who has worked extensively with filmmaker Spike Lee on posters for his movies. Along with the posters, you can see books filled with Sims’ earliest visions for each of the projects, and how those ideas evolved into the final product.Art Sims has been an artist pretty much his whole life, with extensive training at Detroit Cass Tech High School and Michigan State University. His career has included dozens of record covers and movie posters over the years, plus his own design company.
Current State’s Scott Pohl speaks with Art Sims about his career. Sims says Spike Lee is involved every step of the way.
