It’s hard to picture the last 50 years of movies without thinking of Drew Struzan. The legendary illustrator behind Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Blade Runner has passed away at 78.
With him goes a little bit of that old-school movie magic that made the world feel bigger, brighter, and full of promise.
Struzan painted movie posters, but more so, he captured deep emotion. His glowing portraits and airbrushed light showed not just what a movie looked like, but what it felt like.
You could look at one of his posters and instantly feel the excitement of the story before it even began.
The absolutely brilliant posters for Back to the Future, all done by Struzan.
Born in Oregon in 1947, Struzan started out painting album covers. One of his early hits was Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare, a surreal, haunting masterpiece that got him noticed.
A few years later, he worked on a re-release poster for Star Wars, teaming up with Lucasfilm, and his life changed forever.
One of the promotional posters for E.T.
From there, his style became the face of pop culture. Marty McFly checking his watch, Indiana Jones cracking his whip, Luke Skywalker glowing in blue light.
All Struzan. All instantly recognizable. His work defined how we remember them.
Struzan’s process was simple, but his results were magic.
He painted by hand. No digital shortcuts, just brushes, pencils, and paint.
He made it emotional. His goal wasn’t to explain the story, but to make you feel something.
He kept it human. No matter how wild the subject, his focus was always on the people.
His art had warmth and life, like each stroke was a small act of love. You can almost smell the paint and see the pencil marks when you look closely.
Struzan proved that commercial art could still have a soul. His posters made blockbusters feel timeless and human, even when they were about aliens, time machines, or ancient temples.
In a world that’s gone almost entirely digital, his work reminds us how powerful the human hand can be.
With several variations on this theme, The Goonies became even more iconic thanks to this art.
From The Goonies to Harry Potter, Struzan’s art shaped generations. His work glowed with a mix of heart, nostalgia, and optimism that’s rare to find today.
Now that he’s gone, the world feels a little less colorful. But the worlds he painted live on. They’ll keep inspiring us to dream a little bigger, to believe in the magic of story and image.
This particular movie poster stayed in our mind for years.
A lesser-known, but still impressive poster.
The magic of Harry Potter, fully captured in this poster for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 2001
Masters of the Universe, 1987
Blade Runner, 1982
Hellboy, 2004
The original title for Return of the Jedi, before the film’s release.
Back to the Future’s iconic poster.
For designers and dreamers everywhere, Struzan’s legacy is a reminder to stay sincere. To care about what you make. To make something that lasts.
Thanks Drew Struzan, may your posters never fade.
Copyright Notice:
All film titles, characters, and imagery referenced are the property of their respective studios and rights holders. Star Wars and Indiana Jones are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. and © Lucasfilm Ltd. Back to the Future © Universal Pictures. Blade Runner © Warner Bros. Entertainment. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial © Universal Pictures. The Goonies © Warner Bros. Entertainment. Harry Potter © Warner Bros. Entertainment. All poster artwork by Drew Struzan is © Drew Struzan / Struzan Studio.
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