7 essential tips to design a great poster

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For a designer, there is nothing more satisfying than a truly well-designed poster. A poster that balances its purpose and design without compromising either, a poster that piques interest and stands out in a good way, a poster that has very little but says everything. The basic elements of a poster include information, typeface, colors, and illustrations or photographs. Here are some tips on how to use these elements to design an effective poster.

 

1) Ideate first

Everything starts with an idea, a thought. Pleasing colors and aesthetics do not make a good poster. A clever idea that is trimmed and sculpted with a good design is what makes an effective poster. When you set out to design a poster, don’t start with Pinterest boards, start by sketching out your ideas. Sketch lots of them. Your idea should drive the visual outcome and not the other way around.

2) Create contrast

Be it online or offline, there is a plethora of information and content and the attention span of audiences is getting shorter. Creating contrast is one way to make your audiences to pause and take notice of your poster. So, experiment with colors and typefaces that are distinctly different and yet complement each other perfectly.

3) Make use of negative space
More often than not, posters are seen from a greater distance first. A poster cluttered with too many elements may be off-putting at times. The extra spacing will have a visual impact when seen from far and makes your poster readable and legible. Leave space between texts and images. Leave space around the most important detail or element in your poster to drive focus towards it.
 

4) Play with typography
Poster designing is a place where typography plays a very important role. There are type heavy posters that convey the mood of the event without any illustrations or photographs. Don’t use more than 2 or 3 typefaces. Experiment with bold and funky fonts that will grab eyeballs and create interest. Direct the audience to the most important details by adjusting the colors, spacing, and weight of the fonts.
 

5) Experiment with scaling
The sizing and scaling of the design elements will determine the visual hierarchy in your poster. Make your poster stand out by experimenting with the scaling of the design elements in your poster. Scaling will help in creating a depth of field, making the objects or text seem farther or closer, emphasizing your message, creating movement in the poster, and much more.
 

6) Attractive visuals
One of the sure-shot ways of getting attention is by using a visual that is big, imposing, and attractive. A visual can be a photo or illustration or text. Make the visual the focal point and layer your other elements according to it. It will not only drive attention but will also remain memorable in the minds of the audience.
 

7) Clear call-to-action
The ultimate aim of a poster is to make people respond to your call-to-action. Posters are also a way of advertising and you want your audiences to take the desired action, be it for an event or movie screening or awareness programs, etc. Add a call-to-action (event information, contact details, or website) in the middle or bottom of the poster in a way that is visible and not lost among other design elements. Stretch your creative muscles with these tips and create a poster that is hard to look
away from.