When designing posters for your products or company, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Your poster must catch the attention of passersby and it must be easy to understand. Within a few seconds, the potential customer should know exactly what it is your poster is trying to say, and whether or not he or she is interested in it. It should be easy to read and not overwhelm the viewer with too much information at once. A good layout is important, because there is no sense in printing posters unless they are well designed. A confusing or hard to read poster will be ignored.

1. Get the attention of your audience.

Many posters will have a large, eye-catching image to show the audience what the poster is about, rather than telling them. Clip art may look unimpressive and generic, but a well composed photograph could add a lot of interest if chosen properly. If you will be using an image, make sure it directly relates to what you are selling and that it will effectively draw the attention of the viewers.

Even if you are not using an image, you will probably want some brief, bold text to tell the viewer about your products or company. A poster heading should be as large and easy to read as possible. Bold fonts and capital letters may be used for emphasis. When printing posters, try to convey your message in a few words, and then make those words really stand out and catch the viewer’s eye. A few large, bold words are more effective than a lot of small words.

2. Where will your poster be located?

Read more in Marketing and Advertising
« Licensing of Products
Promoting Your Event on Tv for Free »

Always consider the approximate distance of your audience from the poster. If they must be read from a distance, make sure the text is sufficiently large. 

3. Consider your design elements.

An effective poster should guide the viewer’s eyes around it, encouraging them to look at the whole poster and take in all the relevant information. There should be a visual balance between the text and the images, and colors should be chosen carefully. Step back from your poster design and look at it a few times to make sure it is easy to interpret and the overall composition is pleasing to the eye.

4. Consider the amount and type of text on your poster.

A poster is something that should be taken in immediately, not read slowly. It should only take a few seconds to get an idea of what it is about. Use large text when possible, and don’t use too much text. Lists or single words often work better than whole sentences. Typefaces should be bold and clear; anything too fancy might be hard to read. In as few words as possible, your poster should tell the audience what you are selling, why they need it, and how to get it. Some smaller text can be used, but the larger text needs to get the audience’s attention so that they are interested enough to read the fine print.