"The genesis of this idea occurred while I explored title treatments for the deluxe edition of The Wizard of Oz soundtrack packaging. The basic elements morphed and expanded into a full size poster, growing ever more complicated along the way.
"Since 1939, when it was released, there have been multitudes of typographic variations on the title treatment for this film—most placing the emphasis on the word Oz. To be honest I was pretty surprised to not find this particular configuration of the two letters utilized previously to represent the movie—a pictorial combination of two of the more iconic symbols from the story.
"An over-exaggerated rainbow semi-circle forms the letter O, and, flanked by foreboding rows of poppies, dense forest and distant mountains depicting the perilous journey, a stylized letter Z rises on its crooked path to the Emerald City. Tornado-esque flourishes on the colored rainbow bands add movement and life to an otherwise fairly static image, while a drought-cracked foreground marks the beginning of the adventure in Dust-Bowl-era Kansas."
