THRILL

Society of Illustrators 50th Annual of American Illustration, 2009, p190
Illustrator: Martin French

This poster was one of a series of four that the illustrator created while working on a project involving the history of swing dance. The illustrator's goal was to capture the "free-form improv that happens in every dance". I think he was extremely successful.
Looking at this poster makes me want to just get up and dance. The use of the lines and curves in the background and foreground, the positions of the bodies, the swinging tie, skirt, and jacket—all of these bring rhythm to the image. The purposeful misalignment of the writing and the background color block add more movement. The large red block type behind the dancers shouts to the viewer that this is an event one doesn't want to miss. The vibrant colors, the polka dots that seem to be flying off her skirt, the misregistration of color fills and outlines—every detail in this poster serves a purpose.
I'm going to go find my dancing shoes.