Featured Poster Design – West Side Story

This poster was incredible fun to design! The original poster for ‘West Side Story’ is so iconic and yet aged that the ground was ripe for re-invention. For this poster, I decided to really key in on the dance component of the musical while still keeping the romance between Tony and Maria the centerpiece.

It was also fun incorporating layers of urban textures and hand drawn patterns into the environment to support the story and specifically the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks. It’s a subtle touch, but I love putting multiple layers of storytelling into the illustrations—some things being more felt than truly seen. It’s like John Lasseter of Pixar says—”We sand the underside of the drawers.”

I’m hoping to post a ‘behind the scenes’ look here soon at the entire process of creating this very special version of ‘West Side Story.’ If happen to be doing ‘West Side Story’ and are in need of a show poster, check it out here.