Posters: How are they made?
Poster advertising has been around since the early 1800s and is the oldest form of advertising. Posters promoted products and spread political parties and ideas 200 years ago Brexit was even a word. That they’re still as popular today shows just how well they work. But how do you turn your idea into an eye-catching and effective poster? Well, after the idea comes the design and that’s where things can get tricky unless you follow a few simple rules.
How to design a poster
Say it loud and say it quickly. The key to good poster design is a clear message, easily read. A short, snappy headline is often all you need. While “SALE” is an extreme example of this often seen on shop windows, chances are you’ll need to think a little more thought into your poster. Remember that if your message takes longer than a few seconds to read, it won’t be read. Time taken getting a great headline is time very well spent.
Use only great images and graphics
Images, like text, need to be attention-grabbing and striking. Always save images in CMYK colour mode and use only high-resolution pics – ideally 300dpi at artwork size. For graphics try to use vector files where possible. Photos are made up from pixels. The more you enlarge a pic the larger the pixels become and the blurred your image will look. Vector graphics take up a fraction of the memory and you can enlarge them as much as you look with no deterioration in quality.
What is a poster printed on?
Posters are printed on a variety of materials from strong paper to vinyl depending on where they’ll be used. Indoor posters are often printed on 170gsm poster paper. A heavier photo satin paper is used where you want colours to really stand out and images to appear as sharp as possible.
Outdoor posters are printed on water-resistant, tear resistant paper for durability in any conditions.
There also self-adhesive vinyl posters. There’s plenty of choice so whether you’re working to a tight budget or really splashing out, there’s a poster paper to suit.
Where are posters used?
Posters are used everywhere. Have a night out, go for a walk to the shops, take a drive or even visit the bathroom in your local and you’ll see probably see posters.
Typical poster locations include:
• Billboards
• Hoardings
• Shop windows and interiors
• Bars, clubs and restaurants
• Business premises
• Event and concert venues
The great thing about poster advertising is that people see posters whether they want to or not. They don’t have to open a magazine or turn on the television. Posters are already there all around us.
