You may have noticed a recent trend in movie posters where blue and orange is prominently used. This interesting mix of contrasting colours is by no means a fluke in design, its a carefully crated science that helps to provoke you subconsciously. The science behind our emotional connections to colour is a complicated one. What evokes one reaction in one person may evoke a very different reaction in someone else. 

Mixing colours can be a very difficult job and artist and designers have been experimenting in this skill since the 1800’s. The earliest example of this being by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who published a book, the theory of colour, in 1840.  Basic complementary colour theory states that when two contrasting colours are put together, they cancel each other out becoming a grey-scale colour like white or black. Mix red and green together and you’ll get a muddy looking grey. It’s the same with the other complementary colours. Sitting these colours next to one another creates an interesting blend that can invoke certain emotional responses.

Modern designers key concern is provoking positive emotional connections towards their work, and in film, this means carefully crafting promotional posters to optimistically catch your eye. One of the most overused colour methods is the use of blue and orange, in particular the shade of blue called teal. This contrast creates a pleasant and dynamic feel, which can promote a sense of excitement and action. The use of teal and orange is an ever growing trend, as designers mix the two colours in more and more creative ways, blending things such as sunrises or flames with cooler blue elements. An ever increasing amount of movies are using this method in their posters and our gallery below is a collection of film posters that best illustrate the mix of “Teal and Orange” and showcase this modern movie poster cliché.  Movie Poster Cliches – Teal and Orange.