Space Vacation’s gorgeous prints celebrate fan-favorite movies

I first fell in love with Samar Haddad’s playful yet sophisticated caricatures on Instagram, where she publishes pop-culture poster art of her favorite TV and films under the name “Space Vacation.” Her exemplary cartooning skills allow her to deftly create a distinct face with only a few lines, creating an instantly recognizable trademark. Her drawings are funny and weird; her color palettes are enviable.

You’ll see her illustrations dotted all over The Verge — most frequently, accompanying our how-tos and sometimes The Vergecast. I chatted with her about drawing people without noses, where she finds inspiration, and how she makes time for art as a parent.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How did you get started making pop-culture prints?

I had been working in design at branding agencies for a few years and was stuck in a rut where I was always dictated by what the client wanted, and I never really got a say in how the projects ended up. Then, a friend of mine was working with a television production company, and they were looking for a collective of designers to create posters in whatever medium they wanted. I chose to illustrate several iconic movie characters and combine them together in one composition. That was the most fun I ever had on a project, and I loved the freedom I had. 

Then, seeing as how movies and series are what got me excited about illustrating in the first place, I continued with Game of Thrones, the first illustrated poster I made for myself, and as I continued to create more posters based on the movies and series I love, I launched the brand Space Vacation through my first exhibition in 2016 to showcase these prints. It’s been an exciting journey ever since.

What was it about movies that got you excited about becoming an illustrator? Any particular films or shows?

I’ve always been more drawn to fiction and fantasia than reality. Being around films and series felt like stepping into my own world. So paying tribute to some of my favorite movies or series happened naturally, and I began designing posters with my own interpretation of them. I started with the movies that influenced me the most as a teenager like Alien, The Breakfast Club, Star Wars… I feel really lucky to have grown up during such an exciting time for cinema.

How do you begin a new project? Talk us through the process of creating a composition.

The process is the same for each project. I try to capture an idea or inspiration from whatever I have watched recently; it can be a line from a movie or a scene that really stayed with me. I write it down and then come back to it (usually at night when everything has quieted down and I can concentrate without interruption). I develop this idea further by creating several vector elements like the main characters, the setting, and sometimes I integrate them with type. I go through many color schemes and composition variations until I’m satisfied with my progress. And I always work digitally. I feel it allows me flexibility whenever I feel like starting over or changing elements to recreate them differently.

So you’re creating individual elements and then juxtaposing them together into one composition?

Yes, I treat it like a collage. I used to love doing art collages as a hobby when I was in college, and I thought, why not apply that same treatment to illustrations? The process does take a lot of trials and alternatives, but in the end, I find it very rewarding.

The faces you draw are so distinctive — you use very few lines to immediately communicate a recognizable person. How did you find this style?

When I first started drawing faces, I went for a really geometric style. I experimented with making characters recognizable through other distinctive aspects, such as a unique clothing item of theirs. But I found that this approach made the characters appear stiff and often kind of alike. So I started to loosen up my style a bit by making the lines curvier. I made the positioning and sizing of the facial elements more proportional to the real character I was drawing. It was that mix that made the faces more recognizable, I guess.

I have to ask: why don’t you draw noses on your characters? I love this detail and the fact that people are still so recognizable even without them. Was this a conscious choice?

Yes, it was. I was inspired by anime characters and felt this allowed more focus on the eyes and mouth, which convey a wider range of emotions and expressions. The nose, a critical and refined feature, is left undefined to preserve the subject’s essence, capturing a deeper character beyond mere physicality.

Do you approach editorial art and commissioned projects differently than the pop-culture prints you make?

I treat self-initiated prints the same way I would treat commissioned projects. If I were to treat them differently, I would get too comfortable, and they would become secondary. I wouldn’t want the outcome to not be as good as I would want it to be because, at the end of the day, they’re as vital and personal as my other work.

Do you still have time to draw “just for fun”?

It definitely got a lot more challenging ever since I had a daughter, and spending time with her occupies most of my time. In my pre-toddler life, work always took over. Now, it has shifted drastically because I want to be present for every moment, especially in the early years. But I make sure to set aside time for myself and creative play to keep fueling the spark and replenish my inspiration.