Design shack has put together a series of tips to make better posters. We share with you a summary of the advice. Check it out and tells us what you think!
1. Make it Easy to Read from a Distance
Key information should be easy to read from a distance to held draw people to the poster and create a hierarchy in the text.
2. Amp Up the Contrast
You have one glance to grab someone’s attention with a poster. High contrast between elements can help you do that. Forget a monotone color palette with pale gradients; go bold with color and type options. Poster design is a great time to try a typeface or color palette that might be too “crazy” for other projects. Experiment with it.
3. Consider Size and Location
Knowing where the design will live can help you make choices about how to create it. Not only is visual contrast important within your design, it is an important external factor as well. Think of it this way: If your poster is going to hang on a green wall, you probably want to use a contrasting color scheme so the design does not blend into the environment.
4. Make a Mini Version
• Scale down an image that can be shared on social media
• Make a postcard or letter size to hand out.
• Consider making a “poster-version” landing page for your website.
• Create a version that can be sent via email.
5. Use One Big Visual
When designing posters, think tight — close-up crops of faces or elements, single item illustrations, a common scene with a sharp focal point, novelty typography with high intrigue. After you select a visual be careful about layering elements. Type and images need to have enough contrast so that they are independently readable.
6. Use Plenty of Space
There are a few places where extra space can work wonders in poster design: Between individual letters, between lines of text, around interior margins of the canvas, between elements of different types, such as images and text and around the most important element in the design. Ask yourself: What do you want people to see first?
7. Include a Call to Action
The goal of every poster is to expose people to something. Most of these “touches” involve inviting someone to something, such as a concert or movie or other event. For that reason a call to action is vital. Think of it in the same way you would if designing a call to action for a website or app – give it a high-level of prominence in the design.
8. Create Focus with Typography
Poster design is one of those places where you can really go crazy with beautiful typography. Some of the best posters are made with type and color, with no images or illustrations.
9. Use a Cool Printing Technique
Depending on the location and audience for your poster a cool printing technique might be in order. There are a lot of things you can do on paper that just don’t work in digital projects. This might be the perfect opportunity to try out something like letterpress, screenprinting, foiling or use of a UV layer.
10. Have Fun
Poster design is a place where designers can have a lot of fun. While there are plenty of things to think about and consider, this is an area where you can break the rules and go a little crazy with design.
