Thanks to free online poster making tools, it’s easier than ever to create a professional-looking poster with little to no graphic design experience. And with Posterjack Poster Prints starting at only $3.99, it’s a very economical way to advertise your event, business, or even freshen up your home or office decor.
Even with poster making tools that offer thousands of templates, you can strengthen your own custom poster by knowing a thing or two about poster design. To help you get started, we asked some graphic design experts what their top poster design tips for beginners were.
1. Limit Your Text
Marketing and design strategist, Allison Clough, says, “One of the most powerful things you can do on your poster is limit the amount of text. Too much text can be distracting and may cause the viewer to lose interest all together. This principle forces you to be streamlined and methodical about your poster’s purpose. What’s most important to your bottom line? Make it clear with a strong call to action. The more you can streamline your text, the better your poster will be to scan, and complete your goal.”
2. Don’t Be Afraid of Negative Space
Allison adds, “Don’t be afraid of negative space. Contrary to its name, negative space is a big positive in poster design. It’s simply empty space between elements, and can drastically improve the visual appeal, allowing elements like your title, body text, and call to action room to breathe and draw in maximum attention. The breathing room allows the readers' eye to scan more easily and decide what's most important on the poster.”
3. Know Your Audience
Award-winning designer, Pablo Solomon, recommends that you design your poster so that everyone will understand it. “Avoid images and texts that are over the heads of most people. Keep things clear, recognizable and concise. While a select group—and in some cases that is whom you are trying to reach—might understand certain references in word and image, try to keep your message geared to the largest audience possible.”
4. Align Elements
Emma Fleming, Junior Graphic Designer for marketing agency, Duckpin, suggests, “When creating a poster, it is important to lay out your artwork on a grid to help prevent clutter and disorganization. Aligning elements with parts of other elements creates a cohesive design.”
5. Avoid Using Too Many Colours
When discussing poster design colour selection, Emma says, “The choice of colours depends on what you are creating and who it’s for. There are a few things to avoid, such as two colours that ‘vibrate’ or don’t have enough contrast. You should also limit the amount of colours you use and try playing with the shades of the colours you have chosen. This can help make your design more dynamic.”
Ready to Print Your Poster?
Once you’ve made your poster, we’d love to print it for you! Our proprietary print software produces the best large-scale poster prints in Canada. Combine that with our world-class printers, inks, and papers and you get poster prints that are second to none. We offer four types of poster prints and you can choose from over 50 different sizes. Here’s a brief summary of each poster type, but please feel free to visit each product page for more information.
Satin-Matte Poster Prints - Your image will be printed on our classic photo paper. Your poster will have a smooth surface and vibrant colours.
Glossy Poster Prints - Just like our Satin-Matte Poster Prints, colours are vibrant and will not fade for over 200 years. As the name suggests, your poster will have a glossy finish.
Fine Art Poster Prints - Your poster will be printed on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag fine art paper, which just happens to be the best photo paper on the planet!
Peel & Stick Poster Prints - If you want to stick your poster to nearly any surface without damaging the walls, this is the product you want. The adhesive-backed linen material allows you to reposition your poster up to 50 times!
Show Us Your Masterpiece!
Did you know that we share customer-submitted photos on our website? We have the best community and love showing off photos that our customers have shared of their Posterjack prints. You can submit a photo directly on our homepage or simply share your photo on Facebook or Instagram and tag us in it. Let’s see the incredible posters you’ve made!
