This month PosterSpy PRO member Callum Mullin (aka Cmbgraphicdesign) created his 50th poster! Which for many designers is a huge milestone. On his path to creating 50 posters, Callum has learned more about his style, interests and what drives him as a poster designer and we explored that a little in an interview with him.
How does it feel having completed 50 posters?
It feels great. If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t even notice I was approaching 50 posters until my 49th. In my head, it wasn’t a big deal until I looked back on my oldest stuff and realised how big a difference there is in quality. Not just the posters on my Instagram, but from before that, when I was making them on my phone using PicsArt. Going from poster to poster you don’t really notice the difference, but when looking back, it is really obvious, and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.
What makes poster design interesting for you?
For me, it’s easily the passion behind it. That’s how I got into poster design, making quick posters on my phone for the films I loved most. Even before that, I was always drawing my favourite film and game characters, so I think it was a natural evolution. Passion for the subject is what got me into design, and it’s what keeps me into design. Even outside my own work, it’s easy to see when someone put their heart into a piece. Finding a way to express your love for a film, TV show, or game, that’s what makes poster design interesting for me.
Do you have any kind of goal when it comes to your poster design?
Other than just representing the films in the best way I can, my only real goal is to have fun. Of course, long term, I’m working on making poster design my career, I’m studying design at University and taking on client work to move towards that goal, but when speaking purely on the act of designing a poster, I only really aim to have fun.
Do you plan to complete 100 posters?
100%. Completing 50 posters is definitely a big milestone, but it really is just the beginning. I’m young, still in University, and have only really been pursuing design since late 2020/ early 2021. I’m still very much a newcommer to the industry, but I plan on being here for as long as I can. I don’t see my passion fading anytime soon, if ever, so I plan on creating for as long as I can, just enjoying the process. I just hope reaching 100 doesn’t take as long as reaching 50 did, haha.
What is your dream client?
If you asked me this question last year, I would have said DC/ Warner Bros on anything Batman related, and while that still is a dream client, it’s not THE dream client. Since I started building my physical media collection, Criterion has slowly started to become my dream client. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t jealous every time I saw a designer I love get that Criterion gig. I’d love to do any Home Media release, but the Criterion Collection is definitely the Holy Grail when it comes to physical releases. I’d love to design a Criterion cover. If that ever comes to fruition, that will definitely be my “I’ve made it” moment, I’d finally feel like a successful designer haha.
Parasite is your 50th poster, what does the film mean to you, if anything?
I chose Parasite for my 50th because it is an incredibly important film to me. It was one of the films that got me into truly loving film as a medium. The first time I watched it, sometime in 2020, I was blown away. Prior to watching Parasite, I would have only considered myself a casual film fan. I would only really rewatch the same handful of films, I barely experimented with the genre, and I only really stuck to Western releases. Eventually, I slowly started opening up to more conceptually unique/independent films, but it really was Parasite that opened my eyes and showed me how good films outside of my small bubble could be.
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