Netflix flips the bird with ingenious Beef poster design

Netflix's latest surprise hit Beef is all about conflict and angry people. How do you capture that in a poster to promote the series? Well, how about by leaning into that typical gesture of road rage that starts the show's downward spiral of anger and revenge?

The poster's simple illustrated design (see below) has gone down a storm online, creating intrigue among those who haven't yet cottoned on to what is one of Netflix's best releases of the year so far. Looking for more design inspiration? See our pick of inspiring poster designs.

Netflix Beef poster

(Image credit: Netflix)

Directed by Lee Sung Jin, Netflix's Beef is a dark comedy telling a story of escalating fury that begins with what should have been a minor road rage incident but leads to a deranged cycle of revenge. Its portrayal of human anger has proved a surprise hit, but the show's also interesting for its art and design, from impractical designer chairs to the artwork used as each episode's title card (all the work of actor David Choe – see the video below edited by Dende (opens in new tab) on YouTube). 

And then there's the show's main poster. The poster design shows the two main characters Amy (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) facing off as finger puppets on two opposing raised middle fingers. It seems to perfectly capture how their rage ends up controlling their actions, and also the childishness of their dispute. "This is beautiful and gets the message across perfectly," one person wrote on Reddit (opens in new tab). "Well now I kinda wanna watch it," someone else remarked.

Need to upgrade your setup for your own poster designs? See the best current prices on Adobe's Creative Cloud Suite below.

Read more:

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Joseph Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news and features, updates buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment for creatives, from monitors to accessories and office supplies. A writer and translator, he also works as a project manager at London and Buenos Aires-based design and branding agency Hermana Creatives, where he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing photography, video content, graphic design and collaterals for the hospitality sector. He enjoys photography, particularly nature photography, wellness and he dances Argentine tango.