Posters as an effective advertising medium

A poster is an abstract item to be used as a means to be able to communicate messages. The mistake most frequently made is to put too much information on your poster; less is more. Your poster should be an eye-catcher, containing a brief message, understood at a glance. It is claimed that you have about three seconds to catch the audience’s attention.

Here is what you must bear in mind in the design and finish of a poster design:

Clarity

Is the poster’s key message immediately clear to the reader? Usually, people can remember a mean of seven items, plus or minus two. Be on the safe side, and list no more than ve items. If you must address more than ve items, group and categorise them into a tree-structure with headings and sub- headings.

Relevance

Every word on the poster should be relevant to the poster. Omit sidelines, a poster is an abstract.

Concision

Every word on the poster should be necessary to understand the poster’s message. The information should be as limited as possible.

The poster should look nice and inviting. It must attract attention and its appearance must not distract from the message. The lettering should be large enough, also for older viewers standing at a distance of 1 – 2 metres. It is tempting to reduce the font size to allow for more information on the poster, but this will discourage passers by. This will also in part be key as a means to make sure the poster is able to work well by those who come face to face and see it.