Poster Design
An effective poster operates on multiple levels source of information, conversation starter an advertisement of your work and a summary of your work. Key considerations when preparing you poster:
- Prepare a brief on what the purpose of the poster is and who it is for.
- Consider your presentation and size requirements.
- Decide on your distribuion method.
- Focus on a single message.
- Let graphics and images tell the story; uses text sparingly.
- Keep the sequence well-ordered and finish with your call to action.
TIP #1 Consider your budget You may like to print on standard sheets or heavy weight quality paper. Consider mounting your poster to foam core or cardboard, or fitting posters to suit frames.
TIP #2 Reduce Clutter Keep your poster simple to make an impact, everything needs to relate to a key message and conclusion so if it's not relevant to your message, remove it! If you are trying to promote a range of topics consider a series of posters that can be displayed together.
TIP #3 Establish Milestons This is especially important if the poster is multi-authored. Start with the due date and work back to create milestones and allow time for peer review and editing.
Have someone from your target audience evaluate your poster
Attracting Your Target Audience
- Would you stop to look at this poster?
- Does it appeal to the right target audience?
- Is the title concise and does it stand out?
- Is the subject matter obvious?
Delivering the Message
- If you stopped to look at this poster, would you read the text on it?
- Does the information flow logically?
- Is the text legible in terms of font choice, size, colour and spacing?
- Do I feel compelled to take action and do something?
Creating Visual Impact
- Are the graphics large enough to be seen from a distance of 3 meters?
- Are the graphics relevant and attractive?
- Have captions been used to guide the viewer?
- Does the poster have sufficient "white" space?
- Is the style consistent with your current branding look and feel?
A size chart illustrating the ISO A series and a comparison with American letter and legal formats.
