Five Bucks at the Door: The Story of Crocks N Rolls

Scope

Design a film poster for an independent documentary set in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Context

The clients first approached me with a query about InDesign and best practices for poster layout. Neither are graphic designers but Chris was somewhat familiar with some of the Adobe CC programs and planned to tackle the poster design himself. With further discussions about the project and their needs, I offered my services to do the design in full (pro bono), knowing the project would be a fun one and the opportunity to do a classic movie poster design should never be passed up.

I was tasked to do the full poster design with the interim goal to seek funding for the film, and eventual launch and further promotion of the film, a documentary about a legendary rock bar that inspired a unique music scene in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Method

The design process began with the client’s preliminary design attempt. They had a hierarchy of information established so I stuck with their lead and began the redesign. There was little investigation I could do at that time as the client had not yet shared the film with the public. The Crocks venue which was the subject of the film, had little web presence so research consisted of seeking event listings at the venue on various channels to see the types of bands that performed there. Also having never been to Thunder Bay, let alone the bar itself, I was flying blind to say the least. 

Design process

The design process went fairly quickly with a few different font choice explorations and colour palette combinations. Since the project was pro bono, and the client relationship was informal, I presented my gut-instinct only at first, and the reception by the client was overwhelmingly positive. 

Solution

The client needed to arrive at a design that would eventually become the film’s brand fast, as they were applying for funding and to different film festivals. Without a formal project or goal, other than communicate the essence of the film through a poster design, the clients were adamant that their informal objective had been met. 

Final design with festival laurels at the top.

Results

The effectiveness of the project so far can be measured by feedback from the film festival and subject matter community. The main character in the film (bar owner) shared the poster design with his communities and a board of directors on a film festival they applied to “lost their shit” according to an email I received by the client. The poster is now live on IMDB and other social media posts.