Making a poster is not as easy as it sounds. Contrary to layman belief, making a poster does not include slapping a bright text over a picture. It needs to serve its purpose of being engaging, attention-grabbing, and most importantly coherent and easy to understand.
This blog will point out the most frequent errors a beginner may make when discovering the art of poster making. Treat it as your guide to being a true poster making professional or a quick reminder as to what to keep in mind when designing your next cover for poster making competitions.
Too Much Text
One of the main goals of a poster is to gain reach for the cause or event it is advertising for. One too many text vectors on one page may be overstimulating to a casual reader who will not follow the entirety of the page.
Remember; the poster is meant to grab the reader’s attention, it should be appealing enough for them to investigate the topic further. Putting up too much information, or adding too many texts may also not look aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Make sure to only include extremely important details, such as contact information, the main heading which should be the largest, a few important details and that is it. Do not overdo it.
Using Too Many Fonts or Styles
While the main goal of a poster is to bring attention to a cause, that does not mean you should restrain your creativity to clinical boring pamphlet-like pages. Using bright colours, interesting pictures, shapes, and fonts are encouraged–but in the right amount.
When you use too many fonts or mix different styles on one page, it may not look as appealing as a simple poster would. Using cursive or incoherent fonts, and mixing different styles of designs can crowd the entire layout and direct attention from the main topic to the messy outline.
Keep it simple yet creative, the creativity should shine without overshadowing the message.
Use of Appropriate Images and Vectors
Using pictures, shapes, and templates is an excellent way of bringing life to your poster. Especially during poster making competitions, judges look for interesting eye-catching visuals. Images are a very vital method of catching a viewer’s eye.
Especially from a distance, they may not see the text, but they will see the image. Yet, like always, overdoing it will take away from your poster.
- Keep images relevant to the topic.
- Make sure it’s of high quality.
- Either one big picture or vector, or small collages will suffice.
The same goes for shapes, do not use too many shapes which do not complement each other. Opt for fun borders and headers which contribute to the entire layout.
Colour Psychology
Colours are very important. No one will notice a simple black and white printed flyer on the wall unless it’s handed to them. Here are a few ways you can use colours to your advantage when making a poster:
- Use complementary colours. Consult the colour wheel to check which colours suit each other.
- Use bright colours but refrain from neon colours unless the topic of your poster requires you to do so.
- Opt for softer colours for online posters, as they are more pleasing to the eye.
- The colour of the text should be darker than the background to make it coherent and readable.
- Try using bright attention-demanding colours such as maroons, navy blues, and bright yellows for important posters.
Readability from a Distance
If your poster doesn’t stand out to a viewer standing at a distance, it may not indulge their attention enough to read the rest of it. It is crucial to make sure the poster is readable and still interesting to someone not already paying attention to it.
Though tricky, a few tips can help you achieve this goal. For example, using bright colours can make your poster stand out in a sea of normal black and white printouts. A big loud heading is always helpful—make it short and sweet.
Similarly, an interesting picture will do the trick just as much as a bright colour or a big heading would. Enough to make a viewer come closer to read the details.
Conclusion
Making a poster isn’t exactly an easy job, it comes with specific skills you need to master to be able to serve a purpose while exercising your creativity.
By avoiding these small mistakes that usually get overlooked, you can improve your poster making skills and hopefully go on to win some big competitions.