Decemberists poster, by Tara mc Pherson

This beautiful picture is a gig poster for the Decemberists, one of my favourite bands.
It is viable either way up, and pictures an ethereal floating girl accompanied by two birds. The colours are subtle and neutral, yet engaging, and the intricate frame really completes the image, balancing and surrounding the central illustration.
I really love this poster, as it symbolises to me the way that traditional sketches can still look beautiful in contemporary design, and offers me hope that one day I could create something this simple yet exquisite.
More of Tara mcPherson's work can be seen on her website and in her books, most recently one called 'Lost Constellations'

FFXIII PS3 slim

This is a Japanese limited edition PS3 slim, intended to be bundled with the game itself on release. I really love this design, the white console stylish enough with it's minimal shape and subtle curves, but what really makes it beautiful is the embossed design of the game's heroine, Lightning, picked out in a gorgeously subtle pink. The artwork is stark and appealing, and cleverly echoes the style of the lead concept artist's work, often seen in the background of the logos for each installment in the series. It really feels Final Fantasy, and every western fan of Square's flagship title should be shouting at the top of their voices for this machine to cross the seas, in order for us all to spend ridiculous amounts of money on it.

Ico

This is the cover art for the Japanese and European releases of PlayStation 2 game, 'Ico'. It evokes the major themes of the game (escape, protection of and reliance on your companion, aloneness and sparseness, verticality) and presents them in an artful, inspiring manner.
Below is the American cover:
Yuck. Just... Ugh.
This crime seems to have committed in order to appeal more to the American audience, and if I was American I'd be extremely offended by this idea. This design eschews all the subtlety and beauty of the original cover in order to present a generic, hero-centric movie poster design communicating nothing about the game and so familiar to contemporary America as to be void of all meaning at this point.
Similar issues have occurred with Final Fantasy releases, and one wonders if perhaps Japan views the U.S as incapable of appreciating classy, more minimal images, or decoding abstract allusions to actual thematic content.