Inside Criterion

Criterion Designs

45 Results
Capturing Arsenic and Old Lace, in One Macabre Image

To capture the spirit of Frank Capra’s dark screwball classic, Criterion enlisted a longtime collaborator to create an image that combines the influences of Old Hollywood illustrator Jacques Kapralik and legendary pen-and-ink artist Edward Gorey.

By F. Ron Miller

The Artistic Synthesis That Gave Bloom to Our Exotica Cover

For this new illustration, Spanish artist David de las Heras combined his signature use of bold colors with the lush style of French postimpressionist Henri Rousseau, a key visual influence on Atom Egoyan’s 1994 film.

By Benjamin Mercer

Studio Visits

David Plunkert Shares His Passion for Color and Shape

The graphic designer behind our covers for Diabolique and The Tin Drum takes us inside his Baltimore studio and his idea-driven creative process.

Artist Sean Phillips on His Many-Sided Craft, from Comics to Criterion Covers

The man behind the artwork for Sweet Smell of Success, In the Heat of the Night, and several other Criterion editions discusses his career in narrative comics and the inspiration he draws from illustration styles of the past.

By Eric Skillman

Studio Visits

Chris Buck Brings His Off-Kilter Portraiture Style to Dick Johnson Is Dead

The veteran photographer’s gently surreal and comical sensibility drives the artwork of our edition of Kirsten Johnson’s documentary.

Designing Citizen Kane, Down to the Letter

How to encapsulate the spirit of the most celebrated film of all time in a single image? The artist behind our Citizen Kane edition reflects on his winding path to the minimalistic final product.

By Mike McQuade

Revolutionary Artist: Emory Douglas on the Black Panthers and Melvin Van Peebles

The illustrator behind the cover image of our box set Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films speaks with the edition’s designer about his history-making, boldly political aesthetic.

By Julian Alexander

Studio Visits

Caitlin Kuhwald’s Hand-Drawn Portraits Bring Iconic Faces to Life

The Los Angeles–based artist behind the covers for our editions of Amarcord and The Awful Truth discusses the evolution of her work.

Artist Victo Ngai Captures the Lush, Enigmatic Layers of Flowers of Shanghai

For the cover image of our edition of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s opulent masterpiece, the award-winning illustrator combined traditional Chinese figure-drawing styles with a distinctly modern approach to color and composition.

By Eric Skillman

The Adventure of Illustrating Céline and Julie

The Brooklyn-based artist behind the look of our edition of Jacques Rivette’s masterpiece reflects on her playful yet meticulous process.

By Lauren Tamaki

Studio Visits

An Inside Look at Brooklyn-Based Artist Juan Miguel Marin’s Meditative Process

The man behind the artwork for our releases of The Cremator, Man Push Cart, and Chop Shop talks with us about how his Ecuadorian roots and his love of performance inform his enigmatic images.

The Intricate Portraiture at the Heart of Our Mandabi Release

New York–based artist Ify Chiejina walks us through the multifaceted process of creating four new pieces inspired by Ousmane Sembène’s 1968 satire.

By Eric Skillman

The Problem-Solving Artist Behind Our Amores perros Cover

Internationally renowned artist Pedro Reyes shares his inspirations for this new piece, including a Mexican stone carving and the poster for Jaws.

By Eric Skillman

The Brush Behind the Film: How Painter Hélène Delmaire Created Our Portrait of a Lady on Fire Cover

The artist’s intensive collaboration with director Céline Sciamma yielded a wealth of preliminary studies that came in handy for the cover image of our edition.

Introducing First Person Illustrator Xia Gordon

To illustrate our new series of personal essays, we’ve turned to this New York–based artist, whose gift for distilling concepts and emotions into compelling imagery was a perfect match for this ongoing project.

By Andrew Chan

Studio Visits

Gian Galang Summons the Kinetic Energy of a Martial-Arts Icon

The artist behind the images in our upcoming Bruce Lee box set shows us how he captured the legend’s most iconic poses.

A Dark Vision, in Paper Cutouts: Our Cremator Cover

The Brooklyn-based design studio La Moutique took the eerie, collage-style opening sequence of Juraj Herz’s film as inspiration for its wildly surrealistic cover design.

The Intricate Layers of The Cranes Are Flying, Captured in Collage

One of the designers behind our new edition of Mikhail Kalatozov’s masterpiece walks through the creative exploration that led to the final cover image.

By Jason Hardy

Our Eye-Popping Tribute to Silver-Screen Magician Karel Zeman

The meticulously layered images in the Czech master’s fantasies inspired the pop-up artwork in our new Blu-ray release of Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman.

By Benjamin Mercer

Farewell to Our Friend Jason Polan

Art director Eric Skillman pays tribute to the beloved New York artist, whose work has been an integral part of Criterion for over a decade.

By Eric Skillman

Studio Visits

Illustrator Josh Cochran Taps into His Dark Side

Known for his bold colors and humorous drawings, the Brooklyn-based artist took on the challenge of summoning a stark, ominous intensity for our covers of Wise Blood and Shallow Grave.

Studio Visits

Yuko Shimizu’s Fresh Look for an Iconic Beast

The Tokyo-born, New York–based illustrator takes us inside the process behind creating her eye-popping artwork for our Godzilla collector’s set.

Studio Visits

Danielle Mastrion Gives Spike Lee’s Masterpiece a Brooklyn-Style Tribute

To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Do the Right Thing, the Brooklyn-based artist painted a mural that served as the basis for the cover of our edition.

Studio Visits

Gregory Manchess’s Visions in Oil

The veteran illustrator behind our covers for Jubal, 3:10 to Yuma, and A Night to Remember invites us inside his creative process.