The Importance of Posters

Character and Function

  Nowadays people think that posters are an inefficient way to communicate a message because they are living in the age of social media where everything is faster. However, posters still serve a major purpose in our everyday lives. Posters illustrate the changing form of the arts while advertising a message at the same time. Using a poster to advertise is another form of expression for artists and designers. It helps the viewer establish a relationship with the message through color, shapes, lines, type, and images. On top of it all, posters fulfill many purposes and influence our decisions every day.

The Laws of Poster Designing

   A poster should, in most cases, catch the eye of the viewer or reader, In order for this to happen, multiple elements must be incorporated into the poster, the obvious ones being color, shape, text, and so on. But other effects like contrast, proportion, rhythm, and dynamics can have an even bigger effect on the final product.

General Demands of Poster Designing
   For a poster to be successful, it obviously needs to be easy to read and understand. The poster must have a great effect on the viewer from far away, meaning that it needs to catch the eye almost instantly for the reader to even glance. Finally, the poster needs to be easy to recognize so that the reader will have a memory of the poster and recall the information or graphics on it.

Lettering in Poster Design
   How effective is a poster if it's not legible? Again. the lettering on a poster needs to be easy to read from a distance. However, the font or size of the text needs to be proportional to the other elements, information, and graphics on the poster. The font needs to be modern but still pop and catch the reader's eye. The lettering also needs to flow with and fit the theme of the rest of the poster, so the right lettering is a crucial part to the poster as a whole.

Shapes in Poster Design
   Using shapes in posters help give it a dynamic and strong or harmonious and soft effect, all depending on how the shapes are arranged. For example, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines and shapes help create a dynamic effect and can also lead the eye across the poster if done correctly. Overlapping shapes with text or images can help unify the poster as a whole. Although overlapping lines and shapes can help bring the poster together and put on the finishing touches, they still need to be pleasant and easy on the eyes so it is not too confusing (unless it's an optical illusion).

Color in Poster Design
   Color is one of the most effective elements of a poster. It can clarify information, give the poster a feeling of rhythm, communicate a message, connect other elements, and emphazie the purpose of the poster (social, economical, political, etc.). Color can obviously be used to color the objects in the poster, but it has a powerful effect on the poster when it isn't the main focus.

My Takeaways

   Before taking on this project, I only understood that a poster was used to communicate an idea or concept in a graphic measure. However, a poster can inspire other ideas than the ones conveyed on it. One of the most important things that I learned is that everything in a poster should compliment and be proportional to the other elements. This is important so that one thing does not take too much emphasis away from the other information or graphics. I also found that a poster should have lots of movement and be active because it is placed on a stationary surface. In this manner, it will be easier for a poster to catch a reader's attention if it has movemnt rather than being simple. Of course, it is very important for the poster to be legible to that the reader can view it from a distance and understand the main points easily and quickly.

   One of the most valuable things I learned is that effects like dynamics, proportion, and rhythm can be extremely important when designing a poster. I can remember this skill for the future so that I can place more emphasis on these effects instead of focusing only on the color or the text. Overall, I learned lots of useful skills that will help me look at graphics in a more knowledgeable way. These skills will also help me understand what the designer or artist was attempting to convey with their work and it will help me develop an appreciation for it.