Advertising Poster: Create Your Poster In 5 Steps

Just like the flyer, the creation of an advertising poster is a perilous exercise even for the most seasoned. Why? Because at a glance, we must arouse interest, send a message and stay in memory! In short, a mission not that easy! 

We will come back in 5 steps to the main questions to ask yourself before embarking on the creation of advertising posters, I will also give you all my technical tips so that you do not forget anything! 

 Let’s go! 

1 – Advertising Poster: Ask Yourself the Right Questions. 

Before starting, let’s think about it and ask ourselves the right questions before creating your poster: 

– What are the targets of your promotional poster? Who is the target audience? 

– What information to insert? How to prioritize this information? 

– Where will the poster be seen? 

– What is the graphic charter to respect? 

– What graphic trends to draw inspiration from? 

– How to design an advertising poster? 

2 – Advertising Poster: Starting from the Blank Sheet. 

We asked ourselves the first questions to target our needs, now it’s time to put it all together, it’s the first draft on the white sheet! The goal is to stage our ideas while synthesizing our message. 

 What should appear on your advertising poster? The 3 golden rules: 

- Name / Logo 

-Slogan 

-Drawing / Images / Shape / Background: represents min 50% of the poster. 

-Optional: Text (3 lines max): title / txt / coordinates 

If you already have a graphic charter (colours, logo, etc.), it is essential that these elements be present in your poster. Need a reminder on how to create your corporate visual identity or graphic charter.  

3 – Advertising Poster: Our Tips 

a. The Visuals (Photos …) 

– Must correspond to min 50% of the poster 

– Make it possible to avoid having an overloaded poster, it is therefore more readable and therefore more attractive. 

– Consider playing on the meaning of colours to stimulate your poster. 

 The Text 

Two or three sentences maximum will be enough. You should avoid pastel or bland colours that are unreadable from a distance. It is better to use a sans serif and large font for better visibility. The title must be impactful, subtle but catchy. It sums up the heart of your message. (Interrogative or provocative sentence) 

– Assigning a specific colour allows you to distinguish it from the rest of the text 

– Place the title in the centre or at the top of the poster: where the eye will be drawn 

 - At the bottom of the poster you may put secondary info: contact details, program, partner logos… (Do not tell partners that this is “secondary” information, they might get angry!) 

Layout 

Pay attention to the reading direction, it must be from Top to Bottom and from left to right. Your display needs to be consistent if you want it to be seen and read! 

4 – Advertising Poster: Get Inspired 

Before you start, do not hesitate to inspire yourself. On each poster there can be nice details to use, it can be a favourite for a colour, a font, an effect, a layout…. 

5 – Advertising Poster: Put into Practice! 

Personally, I advise you to work with Illustrator to create an advertising poster, it’s my golden rule! Moreover, it is better to invest in good software at the start, which will always serve you for everything, because conversely, free or more amateur software will cause you problems when it comes to converting your files. for printing and after working hours above, this in what demotivates you! Note that most professional software has a demo version available for 1 month! Enjoy it! 

Sonia Grand