Tips

1. Take into account the client, the company, the audience and the competition

When the message that is going to be conveyed is being elaborated, it is necessary to take account of the giver and the receiver of this message so as to ensure an efficient communication. Then, it is necessary to know what company is sending the message and adjust this message to the company characteristics. For this reason, to differentiate the company’s speech from their competition’s speech is another important aspect to consider. The receiver, or target audience, is important as well, and should be clearly delimitated, otherwise few people will get the message that is being sent.

2. Accomplish originality and differentiation

The selection of a specific esthetic among others should have a solid ground: the esthetic should solve certain communicational problems. To create a poster that stands out from the rest is of high importance. A poster should not be similar to another. If this occurs, the only result will be a confused audience and interference in the communication. The conceptual idea and the poster esthetic should be unique and recognizable among the visual pollution.

3. Accomplish compatibility between a product or service that is going to be advertised and the chosen esthetic.

It is necessary to find the most appropriate esthetic for the product or service that is going to be advertised, and the overall company. The chosen graphic concept should also be connected with the selected esthetic. For the audience to recognize the product presented, the design should follow certain structures. Regarding the graphic work, the designers will decide how much the classic and the innovative style will influence on the poster.

4. Establish hierarchies

Posters present different information hierarchies. For the client not to get confused these hierarchies must be clearly determined. The information must be arranged on the plane. To accomplish this and the proper communication of a message, the reading levels should be well defined the space available, exploited. We recommend avoiding information overload. Otherwise, the element you want to highlight in the poster will not stand out from the others.

5. Take an intelligent decision regarding the elements in the poster

The location of the different sections of information and the other elements that the poster comprises (text, miscellany, image) is very important. The effect and importance that the elements will have is directly connected to their position in the whole piece and in relation to the other elements.

6. Take an emotional decision

When designing a poster, the emotional impact it will have on the different individuals is an important element to consider. This element should be used to bring positive results and should be taken into account so as to avoid a counterproductive effect. A poster may not reach the personal perception of every individual, but it is possible for them to cover certain aspects that are directly related to a specific group. This is called segmentation. For example, colors: colors do not have the same effect on men and on women and this effect will also vary according to the different cultures.

7. Analyze colors and budget

Evaluate the amount of colors that will be used in the design, taking into consideration the message that is going to be conveyed and the available budget. Sometimes using four colors is very effective, but in some cases one or two colors may also have a great impact on the viewer. Designs that comprise one or two colors are cheaper, and so, more convenient.

8. Verify the poster possible applications

Before printing the whole posters print runs, we recommend testing one of them. Put it at an appropriate height and distance. Verify that the message is properly conveyed when the poster is exposed to the space conditions that the environment provides (light, fog, reflex, shades, obstructions, etc.)

9. Take account of the amount of posters and their use.

When deciding the design strategy that is going to be used, it is necessary to take account of the amount of posters that will be printed, the places where they will be exposed, the height at which they will be located, and the circulation. According to the possibilities available, mass-produced posters can be designed. They can be posted at a specific distance from one to the other and arranged in a certain way so as to generate expectations, intrigue and surprise.