Chip Kidd's Creation

Just the mention of "Jurassic Park" conjures the excitement and fear of a life or death chase, or maybe the awe and wonder of that moment when long-necked dinosaurs stroll into our view for the first time - but long before we opened the book or stepped into the theatre, we were enthralled. Our excitement can be attributed to to graphic designer Chip Kidd, the creator of the book jacket and eventual promotional materials for the films. In a photo essay from Time Magazine, Kidd explains how the famous image came to be:

"When trying to recreate one of these creatures, all anyone has to go on is bones, right? So that was the starting point...Not only was the drawing integrated into the movie poster, it became the logo in the film for the park itself...Ultimately, I think it's safe to say that the Jurassic Park T-Rex became one of the most recognizable logos of the 1990s...[For the sequel], the solution was to take the original art and use it in a different way. There was no need to redraw anything." -Chip Kidd

Check out the photo essay in Time Magazine here.

The terrifying T-Rex, a terrorizing skeleton caught somehow in motion, made its way from the book cover to the film promotion, and even into the film. Kidd's graphic became the symbol of the adventure park itself. You can see it looming on the park's entrance gates, the helmets and uniforms of the park employees and the doors of the park's Jeeps. Kidd is correct in saying that the logo became one of the most recognizable of the 1990's - it also became one of the most parodied. A few examples from a quick internet search include "Geriatric Park," "Holocene Park" and Weird Al Yankovic's "Alapalooza".

So, if imitation is the best compliment, Chip Kidd should be smiling.