Drew Struzan, poster designer for Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, dies at 78

Designer Drew Struzan, known for some of the most iconic movie posters of all time, has died at the age of 78.

His work has included posters for films such as Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption, The Thing and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Drew Struzan has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13,” a statement on his official Instagram account read. “I feel it is important for you all to know how many times he expressed his happiness at knowing how much you appreciated his art.”

Struzan began his career designing album covers for artists including the Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Earth, Wind & Fire, Liberace and Black Sabbath. His cover of Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare was named one of the greatest covers of all time by Rolling Stone.

He began working on movie posters in the 1970s with mostly B films before creating a B-movie poster for the theatrical re-release of Star Wars. He then became one of the most sought-after designers of the decade, and by the 1980s was working on about 10 designs a year.

“I had to do something different, and I think the problem with a lot of early movie posters is that they looked too much like classic illustrations, which seem to tell the whole story,” he said in a 2021 interview. “I didn’t want to do that. I felt like art is more than just telling a story. In fact, telling a story in a poster is the wrong thing for a movie to do. I wasn’t looking to tell a story. I’m looking to give a person a feeling of something they can hope for.”

He often worked with Steven Spielberg on the designs for ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Indiana Jones, Temple of Doom and Hook, and others.

He also designed posters for Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Coming to America, First Blood, Hellboy and the American poster for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

In March of this year, his wife shared that he had Alzheimer’s disease in a Facebook post. “Drew can no longer draw or sign things for you,” she wrote. He added: “He is not enjoying a well-deserved retirement, but is fighting for his life.”

Tributes have been pouring in from the industry, including DC Comics President Jim Lee who called him “a giant among giants” and added: “His work captured the humanity, strength and emotion of his subjects in ways not seen since. Thank you for reliving all the supporting moments of my childhood and beyond.”