Alumnus spotlight: Tom Hodge’s creative journey as The Dude Designs

A poster for 'The Innkeepers' by The Dude Designs

Tom Hodge, known as The Dude Designs, has reshaped modern movie poster art, drawing inspiration from the golden age of film posters. His journey began in 2009 at Sony PlayStation, where he rediscovered his passion for classic poster art.

This passion project evolved into a career-defining endeavour, leading to collaborations with major studios like 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. 

His breakthrough came with "Hobo with a Shotgun" in 2011, a film that not only marked a turning point in movie poster aesthetics but also earned acclaim from industry leaders like Mondo. Since then, Tom's art has adorned over 150 films, earning him recognition in publications like Vice and Collider. 

In addition to his poster work, Tom's creative talents extend to filmmaking. In 2017, he produced and directed the acclaimed short film "Teddy Bears Picnic," showcasing his skills in directing, production design and post production. It played at over 17 film festivals worldwide from Fightfest (UK) to Sitges (Spain), BIFAN (Korea) to Charlotte and Telluride (US). 

Tom’s recent achievements include having his artwork acquired by The Berlin State Museum. Moving from an individual pursuit to attaining worldwide recognition, Tom Hodge's development as The Dude Designs stands as evidence of the significant influence of creativity and dedication in the field of art and design.