Tom Jung, an American with a birthdate of February 13, 1942, is known for his work as an art director, graphic designer, and illustrator. He is particularly recognized as the creator of the Style A poster that promoted the cinematic debut of Star Wars in American movie theaters.
Jung's portfolio includes the design of numerous movie posters, such as those for Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), _Doctor Zhivago _(1965), the 1967 re-release of _Gone With The Wind _, _The Omen _(1976), and _The Lord of the Rings _(1978).
In 1976, 20th Century Fox engaged Smolen, Smith and Connolly to develop promotional posters for the upcoming film, Star Wars, and Jung was selected to produce the artistic design. He received the direction to represent "good over evil" and was provided with a large collection of photographs in both color and black & white, captured by the film's unit photographers, along with 2.25-inch contact sheet stills derived from the movie's original 35mm print. Jung's creation served as the one-sheet Style A theatrical poster for the movie's marketing efforts. Jung stated that the distinctive "cross" shape formed by Luke Skywalker's lightsaber against the faint image of Darth Vader in the background effectively conveyed the theme of "good" versus "evil."
The Brothers Hildebrandt later created a revised version of Jung's design, known as the Style B poster, for the UK release of Star Wars, which was then followed by the Style C poster designed by Tom Chantrell.
In 1980, Lucasfilm commissioned Jung to design a movie theater poster for The Empire Strikes Back, which featured a standing depiction of Darth Vader with a flowing cape. Jung also conceived an unused poster design for Return of the Jedi, showcasing an image of the second Death Star in the process of exploding.
Jung also created the cover art for several books, including Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. Additionally, he designed the back cover for the Star Wars original soundtrack.