How to Design a Print Poster with Impact

Posters are used for a variety of marketing situations but can at times be underutilised or designed in a way that doesn’t clearly promote your message. The first thing to consider is what size the poster needs to be. The easiest way to come to the answer is deciding how much information is required to get your message across and how far away you target audience will be from it.

The best designs are often the most simple as they don’t offer distractions from your core message. You also want your audience’s first reaction to be the right one as you may only get a couple of seconds of their attention. Once you’ve decided the emotional response you require you can go about constructing your posters layout. The 3 C’s of designing can be used in most instances to develop your poster effectively but they are mainly there to help create a framework for you to start from.

Composition – Consider how each component of the poster will fit and work together. Lead your viewer around the space as effectively as possible. Consider object alignment, white space and division of space to the most valuable parts of your message.

Components – These are your actual images, lines, backgrounds and other visual components. Consider each component carefully so it doesn’t subtract from the subject matter. Utilise colours, shapes and scenes to best convey the emotional response you want.

Concept – This is the overall feel of your poster. Once you’ve decided on all individual components you need to make sure their composition create the right conveyance of your message.