Graphic Design Students Get Real World Experience with Ambler Theater
Going to the movies might be a little different these days, but Arcadia’s senior graphic design students are collaborating with the Ambler Theater to ensure the show goes on.
The Witches poster designed by Christopher Reistle ’21
Courtney Skolka ’21, Madison Cline ’21, Christopher Reistle ’21, Mya Brown ’21, and Davida (Vi) Derry ’21, students in Visiting Professor Christian (Patch) Patchell’s Advanced Design in Visual Communication course, are curating movie posters for the theater’s virtual watch parties and drive-in events.
“The Ambler Theater is a nonprofit, community-based movie theater and Arcadia is part of that community,” said Patch. “As Design students it is important to work hand-in-hand with clients. Also, during these times, the theater had to close its doors and get creative about how they can reach out to their community — we’re happy to be part of that outreach.”
To help promote these events, Ambler Theater used the movie posters designed by students on both Ambler Theater’s Instagram and Facebook pages. In addition to helping promote the movies, the theater is also raffling off prints of the designs to attendees.
“I find it incredibly exciting that our posters will be shared with the community,” said Reistle. “Because then it’s not just that we’re helping this business out, but that my work feels more like a product that’s marketable and worth purchasing.”
The Evil Dead poster designed by Madison Cline ’21
Students designed posters for the theater’s Retrograde Series virtual watch party, which will be showing Killer Klowns, The Silence of the Lambs, The Witches, Sleepy Hollow, and The Evil Dead, as well as the Outdoor Cinema showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Although this is the second year that students have assisted the Ambler Theater with posters, Patch noted that all of the students’ work this year will be used in promotions. Last year, the Ambler Theater selected their favorite posters to display outside the theater to promote the Retrograde Series.
In order to adapt to online learning while providing an equitable opportunity for students to receive feedback on their work, the Graphic Design program has created a Discord among all design students, which enables students to receive peer-to-peer feedback almost instantaneously on any work they would like to share.
