Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re likely familiar with Bill Gold’s work. You’ve seen it while scrolling through Netflix late at night or admiring the decorations in the lobby of your favorite indie movie theater. He’s the artist behind dozens of classic movie posters from Casablanca to Deliverance to The Exorcist, and since the beginning of his career in 1942, he’s consistently challenged the tired norms of the industry. The retro enthusiasts at Flashbak recently put together a selection of Gold’s work for movie fans and graphic design lovers to appreciate.
“I looked at everything MGM and Paramount and all the companies did, and I never liked anything that I saw,” Gold told The New York Times in 2010. “I always found fault with the fact that they showed three heads of the actors, and that’s about all the concept they would use. And when I started to work, I thought: I don’t want to do a concept with three heads in it. I want a story.” With 70 years of consistent, boundary-pushing work behind him, it’s hard to deny that Gold has been successful in telling that story.