Poster Design – 7 Steps To Design An Amazing Poster

Poster designing is not a new thing. Poster designing has been around for more than two centuries now. Poster is a visual message in textual or graphical form that has to be attractive enough to get the attention of passers-by or target audience. It is imprinted on paper or fabric and is used for a number of purposes. They are of different types, for example propaganda posters, movie posters, fan posters, educational posters, event posters and many more. A poster is not just images and text but it has to be strong enough both aesthetically and information wise to create a deeper impact. A graphic designer must take into account many aspects while designing a poster so that it can properly serve its purpose.

Here are 7 easy steps that will give you a quick overview of how to design amazing posters:

1. Know Your Audience

Don’t just know your audience, be them for a while… The most important stake holder in poster designing is the audience. Figure out what type of audience will view the poster? Take into account their age, geographical location, interests, expectations and whats popular among them… Take example of a cell phone. Think if it is better to show the features through text and illustrations on a billboard or other types of frames and material. If the poster is meant for some scientific conference, technicalities need to be explicitly shown to the professionals. Get into their shoes for a while and think like them. How would you like your latest gadget to appear on a poster… What colors would it look the best in? Which model would you want it to endorse? All these questions assembled together and brought on to the poster can bring the best poster to life!

2. Planning Stage

Spread your ideas on a sketch pad, jot down the points, look for inspiration and start the work! The planning stage is the basis on which the final outcome depends. Make a flow in the information delivered so that the viewer is not confused. Don’t be afraid of using blank spaces. Keep things simple. It should convey information rather than requiring the viewer to explore information in it. Decide about the orientation, whether it has to be vertical or horizontal, is it going to be center-based poster or a scattered one? Is it going to be black and white or colored? Which color palette would you use?

3. Use of Eye Catching Colors

Poster colors are the next commodity to look for after you have a perfect idea for conveying your message. Use bright colors and high contrast. Don’t use more than three or four colors as it will look cluttered. The colors should also conform to the industry you are working for. For example, movies’ posters have vibrant color combinations, business and technology related posters may have a sober combination of colors to keep it sophisticated.

4. Information Distribution

Good posters are generally uniform. If one part is full of text, the other is filled with graphics. Don’t let one end or side remain empty unless you want it so. You can compare it to a website where some areas receive more attention than others. Distribute the information wisely, never neglecting areas that would receive the most attention. Use shapes and clouds for most important information if needed. Do not hesitate from playing with font sizes.

5. Choosing Words and Fonts

First thing to look for is to convey a single message. Always remember, readers won’t have the time to stand and stare at your poster. The constraint of space is also a factor. Use the least number of fonts. Use the font sizes and type wisely while keeping clarity in mind. Font size depends on the size of the poster and the normal distance a viewer will be at. A poster in a street will have different requirements than a poster inside a room. Don’t forget to use attention grabbing words. If you are offering something for free, don’t feel shy in highlighting the word FREE!

6. Collect Your Images

Illustrations or other graphical items are even more important than text and play a huge role in the success of your poster. The images and text should complement each other. Use one bold image or illustration. Never use more than two images; if needed, you may use extra images while keeping the size of one larger than others. Image doesn’t mean the figure of a person. If you are using images of people, make sure they know about it.

7. Print The Poster

Printing is the final phase of poster designing. A poster has to be designed in CMYK format if it has to be printed. Take some rough prints before taking the final print outs. You don’t want to cry over spilt milk if your final poster doesn’t come out well, do you?

We have seen abundant posters while passing through streets, walking through shopping malls but how many did actually leave an impact on your mind? A poster can properly serve its purpose only if it conveys the required message to the intended viewer. It is of no use to satisfy the aesthetic sense of your fellow designers.

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