Poster Design Guide: How to Make an Eye-Catching Poster in 2021

Posters are one of the most traditional and tried-and-true forms of marketing collateral. Posters are a great way to get the word out about your sales, activities, and fundraisers using poster maker tool.

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a poster, there are certain guidelines to follow.

As a result, we agreed to write the most comprehensive, in-depth poster design guide available. You've come to the right location if you want to learn how to make a poster from scratch.

These poster design hints can be used on almost any poster you have. So let's get started!

1. Identify The Purpose Of Your Poster

Do you want to share information about a new product with someone? Tell them about a concert coming up in their neighborhood. Or simply inform them that a sale is coming up? Many of these are objectives that a poster can assist you with.

You can use your key objectives to direct your design choices if you think about them from the start.

If your goal for your poster is to get people to come to a meeting, for example, your poster should be strategically built to help you achieve that goal. Simplicity always wins in written correspondence, according to a popular law.

Take a look at the following conference posters: 

With a sleek, professional finish, the poster design emphasizes the key details attendees will need to know:

• The yellow contrasts with the blue, drawing attention to the event's time and place, as well as the featured speakers (information that is likely to pique the interest of attendees).
• The conference's name is also written in the largest text.
• Following the title is a brief summary of the conference's subject.
• The background image depicts a group of people working together to accomplish a common goal.

Take a look at this advertisement for a job:

The goal of this poster is to inform qualified candidates about the open position. And hopefully, get them to call that number to apply to the company: 

• The “We’re Hiring” title of this poster is larger than any other text, as well as flanked by an eye-catching icon.  
• The open positions are listed next so readers can quickly see if the poster applies to them. 
• The call to action, which in this case is to call that number, is highlighted in a unique color.
• The next section answers a lot of the main questions job seekers will have, without making them read a lot of text. 

Start with a goal and plan your poster design around it. 

2. Consider Your Target Audience 

After that, think about who you're trying to hit with your poster. The answer to this question would almost certainly influence a lot of your design decisions.

Let's say you're promoting a fundraising event for the arts, as seen below:

The architecture, colors, and layout all seem to be very professional. 

It's safe to assume they're attempting to appeal to an older, more professional audience. One who is wealthy enough to not only throw a charity dinner but also contribute to their cause.

Now compare it to this Color Run fundraiser poster:

With its vibrant colors and bold fonts (which happen to be one of this year's biggest graphic design trends), this poster appears to be aimed at a much younger demographic. It also seems to be more of a celebration than a fundraiser!

They're both fundraiser event posters now, but the target audience for each poster is different.

So, before you start designing your poster, make sure you know exactly who you're trying to reach.

Also, keep in mind that you can create several posters to appeal to various customer personas. You don't have to use the same one for every client!

3. Choose Where You'd Like To Distribute Your Poster

The last thing you should consider before designing your poster is where it will be distributed.

Are you planning to print it and display it on your wall? Or simply share it with your social media followers?

Before you begin the design process, you must first determine where you want your poster to be shown. This is because, as you'll see below, properly optimizing a poster for print differs from properly optimizing a poster for Twitter or Facebook.

Optimize Your Poster For Social Media

When creating a poster for the web, there are less constraints than when creating a poster for print. This is a fantastic opportunity to have some fun with your concept. There are, however, certain guidelines that you should obey.

If you want your poster to look great on social media, make sure it's the right size for the site you're using. You may want to create several versions of your poster for various platforms.

Remember that for mobile viewing, a square or portrait orientation is best. On a mobile device, people are more used to scrolling up and down rather than side to side.

Alternatively, this Black Friday minimalist poster style will look great in an Instagram feed:  

When creating social media posters, it's especially important to keep the text concise. The pictures will be tiny because people will most likely be looking at them on their tablets.

4. Begin By Using A Ready-Made Poster Design

Designing your own poster can be overwhelming if you don't have a lot of creative experience (or any, for that matter). A poster template can serve as a starting point for your own design.

Begin by selecting a template that will aid in the communication of your poster's target. Look for a poster template that matches your poster's theme or has the style you like.

When choosing a poster design, bear the following in mind:

• Look for a poster prototype with a design that corresponds to your vision and objectives (ex. header placement, image placeholders, icons and more).
• Choose a poster design that is the correct size for the location where you will be displaying your poster. (For example, on a Facebook wall, in an email marketing campaign, and so on.)
• If there are elements of the design that you don't like, keep in mind that you can always modify your models.

For example, if you want to make a job fair event poster, you should concentrate on the venue, date, and available jobs:

That is why those details are highlighted so prominently in this poster design.

If you're making a business poster, however, your slogan, goods, and skills may be the main focus:

 The discount and date should probably be the most eye-catching aspects of your poster if you're advertising a sale:

 As you can see, these are all excellent poster models, but each one is tailored to assist you in achieving a specific target. So, just make sure you choose a design that is appropriate for your objectives, and you can save a lot of time.

Jump to the last section if you want to learn how to make an event poster, a business poster, a sales poster, and more. A more in-depth guide to making a killer poster can be found there.

5. Make A Strong Call To Action.

If you've had someone's attention, make it crystal clear what your next steps are to assist them. This is referred to as a Call-To-Action (CTA).

A call to action (CTA) should be included on any poster, regardless of subject or format. What is the point of making a poster in the first place if not to promote something?

How to Create Posters for a Variety of Occasions

All of the tips we've given you so far can be applied to almost every poster. However, in this last segment, we'll get a little more detailed.

Some of the most popular types of posters that you can make are mentioned below.

Rather than waxing poetically on each form of poster, we'll outline a quick checklist for each! So let's get started!

• Begin by choosing an eye-catching background image or color.
• Your event title should be written in a broad, bold font.
• To make the title stand out, add some embellishments.
• Include the event's date, time, and place.
• Have a straightforward call to action.
• Explain why people should come to your case.
• Make sure your logo and brand colors are included.

 Conclusion 

Use this tips, it will help you to create eye-catchy posters in minutes.If you don’t want to create it from scratch then use any online graphic design software to make creative poster.There are many online graphic design software with thousands of predefined poster for every occasion , just add your requirements and your attractive poster is ready within minutes.