What to Consider When You’re Designing a Poster

Posters are among the most iconic and well-loved examples of graphic design. Hundreds of them are instantly recognisable, symbols of a time and place. We all know the famous “Hope” stencil portrait of Obama, and everyone has a “Keep Calm And Carry On” poster somewhere. But although posters might look simple, they’re not all that easy to design. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Keep it simple.

A poster has a lot of jobs to do. It needs to grab the right person’s attention, tell them about an event or a product in a matter of seconds, and make them want to find out more. It’s very easy to clutter your poster with information, remembering all the things you want to say (and overloading a graphic designer as they struggle to cram everything onto the page) – but your poster should have one clear message. If you have more than one message, you need more than one poster design – otherwise things will just get confusing.

Use colour effectively.

A poster needs to be looked at, and colour is the best way to do that. Now is not the time for tasteful muted colour palettes: now is the time for bright, vibrant colours. Just don’t use too many different tones, and make sure that they work well together. Colours normally look different on a computer screen to when they’re printed out, so always do a test run before committing. High contrast between different elements will make your poster design ‘pop’, and will make it easier to read from a distance. Monochrome posters can work, of course, but you’ll need to make up for the lack of colour with a truly striking design.

Consider the size and location of your poster.

External factors play a big part in whether people will look at your poster. If you’ll be hanging it on a brick wall, you’ll want it to have a contrasting colour scheme so it stands out. If you’re planning on printing on A4 paper, then your poster could easily be overlooked; the colour scheme will have to work harder, and the text needs to be bigger. Sometimes it may be more effective to get a few large posters than lots of little ones; our print consultants can advise you.

Whatever you need posters for, talk to Colour Print. Our experienced team of designers know what works and can help you create an effective design – and we can print it, all in-house. Call 01603 488001 or email sales@col-print.co.uk to get things started.

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