9 Interesting Ways to Create Eye-Catching Posters
Posters have been great advertising tools to promote brands and events for years. However, not all have the same power or intensity. For instance, if a poster lacks the proper design elements, it won’t drive sales. A well-planned and designed one, on the other hand, can grow sales or increase footfall at your event. That’s why it’s wise to familiarize yourself in detail with their design elements before printing posters to prevent wasting money. This post will walk you through important tips that will give your posters a stellar appearance to benefit your business.
9 Important Tips to Follow for Appealing Posters
Here are a few key considerations to help you get attractive posters.
1. Find your target audience
This is a key consideration that should be sorted out prior to design. This research will narrow down your choices regarding colours, fonts, graphics and images. For instance, if you’re organizing a fundraiser and your target audience is elderly, you should focus on simple, bold fonts with one or two colours and a minimum number of images. Ensure all the crucial details are plainly visible so they can easily grasp the content. On the other hand, your approach will differ if your audience is younger; potentially utilizing more colours, stylistic fonts and a casual design style. Furthermore, for diverse audiences, you may have multiple posters for the same event.
2. Make it readable from a distance
Your content should be visible from a distance to reach as many people as possible. That’s why all the key information, including the headline (name of the event or business) and other details (what, when and where), should be highlighted with suitable fonts and colours. Maintain the hierarchy of the poster’s text, with headlines having the largest font size, to ensure information is communicated clearly to audiences. Avoid unnecessary information to avoid confusing potential consumers or attendees.
3. Pay attention to contrast
If you want to grab your customer/attendee’s attention with one glance, try contrasting elements. So, instead of choosing a monotone colour palette with light gradients, select bold shades and interesting font styles to reach a diverse audience instantly. However, don’t go overboard as too much contrast can be too loud. Strike a balance between colours to maintain parity and a pleasing appearance.
4. Consider its location
Determine where your posters will go. In this way, you can choose the size, fonts and colours to reach as many people as possible. For instance, if the poster is placed against a grey wall, choose blue coloured posters with contrasting shades like pink, yellow and red. With this colour scheme, your posters are sure to stand out and make an impact on passers-by.
5. Use enough space
Posters are usually placed at a distance from those passing by so keep enough space between letters, images and graphics. Also, keep space between lines of texts or interior margins. By doing so, you ensure that your poster is legible from a distance to grab the attention of attendees/customers.
6. Add one big visual
One key image can make a big difference to your poster. There may be situations where your customers or attendees may not be interested in reading the content of the poster at first. That’s where graphic illustrations, close-up faces and novelty typography come in handy to reach a wider audience.
7. Include a call to action
When designing a poster, your intention is to drive sales which is impossible without a call to action (CTA). This is because, in the end, you want your customers to do something, like buy your product, use your service, visit your event, buy tickets or be part of a campaign. Keep the CTA either on the bottom or middle based on the layout.
8. Focus on typography
Typography plays a vital role in making your posters stand out. Using different and striking fonts adds personality to your poster design. But you should choose this key element based on the content of the poster. For instance, if your poster is for an important event, use bold sans serif to convey a serious intent. Italic sans serif fonts, by contrast, exhibit elegance, while loose handwritten ones imply playfulness.
9. Keep copy short and crisp
Too much information can make your poster boring and uninviting. Keep text as short as possible. Try to say more by using fewer words. The best advertising agencies do just that.
These nine tips can take you a long way towards perfecting your poster design long before you go to print. Start by deciding on your target audience and then determine where your posters are going to go. Then select suitable fonts, images, graphics and colours. Make sure there’s enough space so that your customers/attendees can easily read it from a distance. Follow these tips and you’re sure to get amazing posters and amazing results.
