Responsive // Developing ideas

I took to illustrator with a few ideas and experimented, using the colour palette I created from the film.

First off, I want to see how using buildings and lit up windows would look - this is symbolising Theodore's home in his tall concrete jungle of a city, and how his life lights up when he meets Samantha. It is also an effective way to identify Theodore, without actually including him on the poster.

These images don't reflect the romanticism of the film, and seem more gritty, which has lead me on to downsize them and play with using the sky as a larger part - the architecture is not the whole film.

I hand rendered the name 'her', to create a natural and elegant feel. It seems more personal this way; to show the connection between these two beings.

I drew a small huddle of clouds to signify how Samantha is metaphorically in the clouds - she is artificially intelligent, and does not exist on earth, yet seems so real - so it seems as if she is some place else. It also adds a dreamy touch, in that she is above and watching, and is more developed than human intelligence.

I found the colours brash and too heavy for the calm and dream like nature of the film, so I've moved on and am focusing on lighter and more simplistic colours (and fewer).

The grey colour is one taken from the film, that is noticeable in a few scenes. I think its a nice subtle colour to use as a background. Red is very iconic in the film but it seems harsh when I put it into practice..

I have developed the buildings to give them more detail so a skyline is created, and to reflect the cityscape. I have looked back at the panoramic scenes and also studied skyline images I've come across online. Parts of the movie were filmed in Shanghai to get the futuristic feel as the buildings are incredibly tall.

In trying a sans serif font I have found it to be too like the already existing movie posters for Her. I want to move away from that and create something fresh.

I've experimented with the composition and tried removing the clouds (I got feedback that they are too cartoon like), so I have researched the OS system to try to create more relevant imagery.

When the OS is being created for Theodore, this loading screen comes up. I love the smooth and elegance of it, so I have tried to recreate it subtly on the poster, to signify the connection between Theodore and Samantha.
I have placed it connecting 'her' and the buildings together, which is a nice concept in that the two are joined.

These are the final three designs that I prefer the most, and that recreate the atmosphere from the film as best as possible.

I'm having a hard time deciding, as I like them all and they are too alike, so I have asked opinions and learnt that 'it may be better without the love heart, or if it is moved further up'. Also that the clouds are quite 'unclear at first', and they distract from the type, which is strong on its own.

Some more feedback I got was:

• The loveheart is quite distracting from the less obvious, conceptual elements - it isn't really needed. Possibly one feature too many?

I decided to go with the middle design, as the composition of the buildings is more natural and balanced. Although I feel that the heart is unnecessary, I am going to place is very small in the middle building as a subtle feature hinting at Theodore in his home, falling in love with Samantha who is reaching down to him.