20th century sci-fi

Early 20th century sci-fi movie posters

So what is sci-fi? The literal definition of science fiction actually still remains up for debate. Although many groups and individuals have discussed the origins, the precise meaning has not been agreed.

However, personally the most compelling argument is that sci-fi became available between the 17th and early 19th century, this is due to the huge leap in scientific revolution at those times. There were major advancements in mathematics, physics and astronomy and in the 20^th century the sci-fi genre grew in popularity following the further advancements in science. These included inventions that could be applied to daily life, which inspired exploration into future technology and scientific discoveries.

This lead to the development in science fictional literature as the society at that time was intrigued in the possibilities and future prospects for mankind. The fictional novels created satisfied the peoples fantasies.

Sci-fi has now become an established genre and is recognised for influencing the culture during the 19^th century.

When you here the words sci-fi you may draw up some of your own ideas and images associated with it. Often one of the more popular associations with sci-fi is the Star Trek franchise. Gene Roddenberry first created the franchise and proposed the original Star Trek TV series in the 1960s. Since then there have been films, remakes, books and spin off series of the franchise and has still been produced today with contemporary remakes.

Below is a series of posters that have been used to promote the franchise and all contain the sci-fi visual style.

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The images above are posters which I have come across which illustrate examples of 20th century sci-fi visual style. 

The first thing you may notice is the variety in the colour palette, the posters are very colourful which intrigues the viewer. However the shades of colours are dim and soft which give them a classic feel.

From my research I have discovered often in the sci-fi posters there is a non-human presence such as a robot, extra-terrestrial martian, enlarged creature etc this is apparent in the posters above.

The type featured in the posters are very bold and stand out from the poster especially the title of the movie. The posters use a san-seriff font which allow the viewer to clearly understand the text and messages.