Drive (2011)

The typography of the film Drive is reminiscent of 1980s style with the neon pink colour and flowing letters.

Play Misty For Me (1971)

The bright green typeface and the fact that it does not read as one single line disconcerts the reader and is the very nature of the film; a psychological thriller.

The Godfather (1972)

The typography used here, set in the centre of the screen is powerful and direct much like the film.

Black Widow (1954)

The typography here is black and winding much like the legs of a spider spinning its web.

Them! (1954)

The bold typography leaps off the screen amongst the black and white background.

The Blob (1958)

The red images enclose the titles creating a scary image and a fear of what's lurking behind the typography.

Cannon Ball Run (1981)

Fast cars go with fast typography. The titles don't stay on too long as the car in the picture speeds across the desert. The red, bold text emphasises the thrills and spills of the action in the film.

Lion King (1994)

The orange typography against the black background is striking and mirrors the glow of the sunrise in the opening sequence.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Like most of Tarantino's title sequences, the typography consists of very bold lettering, reminiscent of early blaxploitation films and Spaghetti Westerns.

Mash (1970)

The typography reflects the nature of the film set in the military: it is regimented, grey and harsh in colour and plays on typography typically used within the army.

Conclusion

Whether you're a fan of kinetic typography, or some other type of trickery with After Effects, this roundup of classic examples should provide some great food for thought. Cinema is probably the earliest example of motion graphics, especially the animated sequences of Saul Bass and Maurice Binder that featured in many sixties movies, and therefore makes for a notable resource of inspiration in modern design.

Due to requests from the production companies, many movie title sequences have their embedding functionality disabled, and therefore some couldn't make it onto this list.