At Oswald & Willie, we believe in the spirit of imagination — in chasing wild ideas, dreaming big, and putting heart into everything we create. So when we learned of the passing of Drew Struzan, one of the most visionary illustrators in modern history, it hit us deeply.
Drew didn’t just paint movie posters — he painted the feeling of what it meant to believe in something bigger than yourself. Long before the lights dimmed and the film reel began to spin, Drew Struzan had already set the stage. His brushstrokes told us who the heroes were, what was at stake, and why it all mattered. In a single image, he could summon awe, courage, nostalgia, and adventure.
From Star Wars to Indiana Jones, from Back to the Future to E.T., Struzan gave us not just art — but the movies in our minds.
The Dreamer Who Defined Movie Magic
“When one thinks of iconic movie poster artists, Drew Struzan is the first name that comes to mind,” said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “His artwork is so imaginative, so beautiful, it elevated the movie-going experience before audiences even stepped foot into a theater.”
George Lucas himself once said that Struzan’s work “opened up a world full of life in vivid color… even at a glance.” And that’s exactly what made Drew a kindred spirit to us — and to dreamers everywhere.
Like Walt Disney before him, Struzan believed in the impossible. Both men built worlds that reminded us to stay curious, to keep a sense of wonder alive, and to lead with character and heart.
At Oswald & Willie, that same philosophy guides our designs — the idea that art and storytelling can still spark something childlike and fearless inside us all.
The Brush That Built a Generation of Heroes
Drew’s career began in the 1970s painting album covers for legends like Alice Cooper, the Bee Gees, and Earth, Wind & Fire — bold, soulful works that captured the sound and energy of their time. But it was in film posters that he found his true voice.
His 1978 Star Wars re-release poster — affectionately called the “Circus Poster” — was where Drew’s legacy took flight. The painting’s mix of classic composition, romantic adventure, and painterly realism became his signature style. It was retro-futurism with a beating heart, perfectly in step with George Lucas’s throwback space fantasy.
From there, Struzan’s brush shaped the visual identity of our collective imagination — Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, The Goonies, Hook, Harry Potter, The Muppets, Back to the Future, and dozens more.
If you’ve ever felt a surge of excitement from a poster before you even knew what the movie was about, you’ve felt Drew’s magic.
The Legacy of a Visual Storyteller
Struzan once said he “fell into doing movies because of portrait work.” But what he really did was portraiture of emotion. Each poster was a story distilled — adventure, hope, nostalgia, and courage, painted in bold acrylics and timeless light.
His art defined an era — and in doing so, helped define who we are as dreamers.
At Oswald & Willie, we see that same spirit in every creative risk, every rough sketch that becomes a finished design, every small dream that grows into something larger than life. Like Drew, we believe the best art starts from the heart — and carries the courage to imagine something new.
Drew Struzan’s Enduring Influence
Drew’s influence lives on not just in galleries and movie collections, but in every artist who ever picked up a pencil after seeing one of his posters and thought, I want to do that.
He was, in the truest sense, an architect of imagination. His brush helped build the visual mythology of our childhoods — just as Walt Disney’s storytelling built the worlds that shaped our sense of wonder.
In remembering Drew Struzan, we celebrate more than a body of work. We celebrate the dreamer’s impulse — to create, to believe, to build something timeless.
Thank You, Drew
For inspiring generations to dream with color.
For proving that imagination can be painted.
And for reminding us that the greatest adventures begin in the heart.
At Oswald & Willie, we’ll keep carrying that torch — designing with curiosity, courage, and character, just like Drew did with his brush.
Your work shaped the stories that shaped us all.
Thank you for the magic.