5 Tips to creating eye-catching project artwork for your film, series or live streaming show

Hi, I’m Audrey Kiss, Program Manager for the STORYHIVE Voices and Video Podcast programs! I’m excited to be back on the STORYHIVE blog to share some essential tips to help your project stand out.

Your film, series, video podcast or live streaming project artwork is often the first thing people see when looking for something to watch—whether that’s scrolling for something on TELUS Optik TV or browsing YouTube. Think of it as the new movie poster! This means if it’s not eye-catching, descriptive or easy to read, it’s more likely to be passed over.

Below are 5 tips on creating compelling artwork that’ll grab more eyes on the documentaries, narrative short films, digital  series’, video podcasts and live streams that you’ve worked so hard on! Each tip below features standout examples of project artwork that vividly bring these stories to life and captivate audiences.

1. The imagery should allude to the topic

The visual element of your artwork should match the title of your series in some way alluding to what your series is about. For example, if your series is about food you probably want some imagery that includes food in your artwork.

2. Fonts should be easy to read

A common mistake is font sizes that are too small or too thin. Consider where your artwork is going to be viewed. Most box art and thumbnails tend to be featured in rows with other artwork alongside, making them pretty small and easily lost in a crowd. If your font is too small or too thin, the viewer won’t be able to make out your title in the sea of other graphic design elements.

3. Make sure images are clear and not too crowded

Most artwork is going to be viewed on a small screen at some point, such as a laptop or cell phone. If it is featured on television, it will be in rows of other content. You want to make sure any imagery you use is easily discernible; overly complex images and backgrounds make text difficult to read and overall difficult for the eyes to take in.

4. If you can, follow the eyes’ natural path

Compositional flow refers to how the eye is taken through a design piece. The most common pattern is a “Z” where the eyes move across a poster or graphic in a “z” pattern: starting at the top left and ending at the bottom right. Consider what you want the viewer to see first—probably your title—and what you want them to see last—such as any logos or branding.

5. Be consistent! 

This means same artwork or similar artwork across all pieces and platforms, same fonts and same aesthetic and style. You want to start creating brand recognition for your show or film and if you start to stray from your initial piece of artwork it can start to look messy and out of sync.

Now that you’ve been inspired to create compelling project art for your incredible story, check out our 2024/2025 programs now and STORYHIVE’s website and get started on your upcoming application!