If you work in graphic design, the request to design a poster or create a flyer is certainly one of the most frequent requests you receive. A poster is usually used to communicate an initiative or an event: it must therefore capture attention , convey a series of sensations in line with the message, and be very clear in communicating the information.
As you may have already understood, it is not easy at all. In many years of courses and discussions with the community, we have often seen poster projects with excellent ideas and excellent premises, which however could have improved a lot thanks to some tricks.
It is also a matter of applying the basic rules of graphic design in this case, those that we teach in depth in the ABC Graphic Design course , the advanced course on the basics of graphics.
8 tips for creating a truly effective poster
1. Organize the information
When you design a poster (or a flyer or a brochure) you always have to insert a lot of information or graphic elements into the sheet. The first thing to do , therefore, is to organize those elements . Before even inserting them!
This can be tricky, especially when you have a lot of information to include. My advice? Simple: start by grouping the information you want to include in your project into groups of related elements. List of possible information given by the client organized into groups.
For example: texts, main title, images, logos, social icons or photographs. These are all different groups that will have to play a different role on the page.
This way you can treat each group as its own element and it will be easier for you to create an orderly diagram with these blocks of information.
2. Establish a visual hierarchy
Once you have defined the groups of elements, you will have to organize them , giving each of them a different importance and therefore defining a visual hierarchy .
This is one of the basic principles of graphic design . And not using a good visual hierarchy is one of the most common mistakes made by beginners. The groups you create will play a different role and have a different importance to the observer.
Organize items and groups of items according to a hierarchical scale: from most important to least important. For example, the title will be more important than the text, right? And so it will have to have a more prominent role from a visual point of view. A larger size, a thicker text weight or a more flashy color.
Every visual tool you use must result in giving the right value and weight to each piece of information that will be transmitted to the observer.
3. Insert a focal point
Establishing a visual hierarchy is not enough. You also need to make sure that the eye goes immediately to what will be the most important information or what attracts the most attention. In practice, you need to create a focal point.
The focal point should be the most important element in your hierarchy. The focal point is important in all your graphic projects but especially in a poster, because an effective poster must capture attention and convey a message, a piece of information, in a very short time.
So the first thing to do when you start creating a poster is to set your project around a focal element. It can be a graphic element, a photo, or a text with a strong visual impact.
This is the initial image that I then decided to further customize . Since the theme of the poster is “open-air cinema” I had the idea of placing it on a dark blue background, to recall the night, and transform those popcorns into a starry sky:
4. Enter the right number of items
Whether the poster is used to promote an event, an evening or a commercial offer, the problem is always the same: the temptation to put too much in it. Too much writing, information, graphic elements. The result? You risk losing the focal point entirely.
Once you have correctly placed and enhanced the focal point, add only the necessary textual information , without superfluous elements that would only serve to distract.
At this point, however, the space occupied by the image and the background covers every possible empty space and we no longer have areas in which to insert text and other important information. Summarize the image, removing elements that are superfluous and redundant
Small note: also remember that including too few elements , however, can cause the opposite effect: confusion and misunderstanding.
When we say “Less is more”, it does not necessarily mean removing everything. It means removing only the superfluous, the useless. As done in this case, where the meaning and the message were still maintained.
5. Align elements using the elements themselves
In graphic design, as in many other professions or disciplines, the rules must be learned well , and then broken. We have explained to you on several occasions how grids are always a valid starting point for your projects. But sometimes the alignment that comes from the grids isn’t the only one that can help you.
For example, if you choose to use an image or graphic as a focal point , you can align other elements, such as text, to it . But each graphic element can also be aligned with others, to create visual connection and dynamic order.
In this case the point where the paragraph is positioned is chosen based on both the positioning of an image element (pink line) and the margin and therefore the grid
This way you will get a visually tidy result, which maintains a solid hierarchy and helps to emphasize the focal point.
6. Use contrasts
To attract the attention of the viewer without having to resort to too many elements you must give your project the right dynamism. A smart and effective way to do this is to use contrasts .The classic example is using contrasting colors.
The color palette of the illustration is in strong contrast with the background color, making the poster more interesting and readable.
Other examples could be the combinations of different types of alignment. Or the placement of a visual element, such as a photo, with a cut or a characterizing element in total dissonance with the rest of the poster. Or experimenting with overlaps, or with color contrasts.
These are all valid methods to give the right dynamism to your project without creating confusion in the distribution of the elements or losing the focal point.
7. Take it to the extreme
When you create a poster, always think that it is something that we often look at out of the corner of our eye, to which we dedicate very few fractions of a second, perhaps because we are driving, we are on public transport, or in any case we happen to see it while we are busy with other activities.
To be relevant then our project will have to be , in some way, extreme. Often beginners in graphics tend to place the elements on the page more or less all of the same size. Because, perhaps, they are afraid of daring too much. Nothing could be more wrong. We need to take it to the extreme .
This is because we simply moved and cut an image. Remember this for your next layouts, please.
8. Stay consistent
Just as I have already suggested for the quantity of elements to include in your project. Also regarding the style choices it is important to remember the function and specificity of a poster.
In fact, it is not a product created to provide insights or a variety of ideas. It must communicate a concept, information, a suggestion.
The more your project remains consistent with the brand identity , with the taste of the target you are designing it for, with the idea you want to communicate, the more effective it will be. An example is using colors and images that match the brand’s “tone of voice.”