Designer: Homework (Joanna Górska + Jerzy Skakun)

Client: Spectator

Size: 68 x 98

Printing Process: Offset

Number of Inks: 4-Color Process

The dynamic duo of Joanna Górska and Jerzy Skakun at Homework top my list for the most amazing purveors of vector graphics, often whittling down the elements to their most basic shapes, while presenting some of the most sophisticated solutions the world has ever seen. The standard that they set in their work truly requires a full profile, such as the one in New Masters of Poster Design: Volume Two, so that it can be properly appreciated for it's sustained brilliance. Yet, they often stop me in their tracks with a killer concept, requiring that I shout their name from the design rooftops once again. This time, however, they captured my eye with a simplicity that is staggering (and tittilating) in it's application.

Designed for film distribution company Spectator, the poster, advertising a competition showcasing short erotic films, manages to be as smart as it is sexy. The simplest of shapes finds itself presented with just the right curvature, so that the thighs and hips form from negative space, becoming so much more than that of two basic vectors. The clever selection of colors, and placement of the minimal lines of type, only heighten this feeling. Doing all of this, while never resorting to the obvious lure of photgraphy, is simply stunning.

However, it's not as easy having a project like this as it might look. When working on racier fare, one must take special care in their correspondenc—shorthand beware! "It is a funny thing to design a poster with a theme around sex," laughs Skakun. "Once, I started writing an e-mail to our female client asking when we will have to have sex—meaning when was the deadline for delivery." Luckily, he caught it before a round of embarrassed blushing was in store for everyone involved.

Well played, on all "fronts."

You can always get John Foster's thoughts on posters in book form via New Masters of Poster Design, New Masters of Poster Design: Volume Two, 1,000 Indie Posters and many more.

NOTE: Poster of the Week runs every Wednesday. Check it out each week!