What Makes a Poster Good and Effective - Essay Example

Powerful, Pictorial, Public, Instructional, Big and Bold (J Falton 1992) these are some of the words used to describe the poster. What makes a postergood and effective This is the question this paper attempts to answer. Regardless of their purpose, (promotional, instructional or presentational); all good posters have a few things in common: visually high impact, simplicity in conveying the message, and effective and remarkable use of copy and symbols The designer should always have in mind the audience targeted - they want to know "what it does and how it does it" (R Walton 2003). All good posters grab and hold the attention of the viewer and convey the message in easy and succinct language. The use of graphics that are remarkable, simple and explicit is a key to effective poster design. To understand the principles of good poster design, a few illustrations are used. An understanding and analysis of what makes these posters effective will help understand the basics of good poster design. Illustration-1 is an excellent example, an A3, landscape, CMYK, instructional poster. It is aimed at children primarily and teachers secondly. The internal format of the poster is a simple two-row and four-column symmetrical grid format. We observe the following: The numbers at the top of each of the instructional illustrations help the reader move along from each framed piece of information to the next with ease. The colours used are almost entirely bright primary colours. These help to create an almost busy comic book style being more attractive to young children. The readability of the text allows the reader to "visually slow" (J Drew, S Meyer 2005). The text placed in short chunks also helps the reader absorb information more easily (J Tufte 1996). The font used, Comic Sans, is legible and not as conservative as Times or as bold as Helvetica or Gill. Comic Sans seemed to be more attractive to children when the poster was tested in a classroom situation. Memory retention studies tell us that readers are 78% more likely to recall information printed in colour as opposed to black and white (L Eiseman 2000). As can be seen from Illustration 2 the change of language for use in Irish schools does not detract from visual impact of the poster. The illustrations in the poster (checked for accuracy by Health Board Dental staff), support the text and add to the cheerful and friendly feel of the poster. Created as an A3, 300DPI, Litho print, this poster could be enlarged up to A2 with the DPI reduced on a large-scale digital printer. Moving on to Illustration-3, this is an A3, CMYK, portrait, promotional poster with a simple left aligned symmetry. The salient points of this poster are: The dominant colour - green helps to create a feeling of "freshness and renewal" (L Eiseman 2000). The use of some yellow creating an analogous colour combination with the over print of an ambulance photograph does not detract from the visual impact of the poster. Indeed the yellow Gill Sans text draws the readers eye towards the relevant information which is presented "clearly, simply and efficiently" (P Wildbur, M Burke 1998). The image used for the poster, strengthens the advertised promotion. While not of the best quality, breaking it up to create a more interesting visual effect made it attract potential readers to the poster. This poster was also created for Litho printing. However, digital printers could also produce it. Nevertheless, be aware that not all digital printers can hold the flood of green contained in the poster. Test printed on an Epson 9000 with clean heads, the printout was acceptable at A1 size. Illustration-4 is an A1, large-scale digital promotional and informational poster created for people who are recovering from a stroke. Here is a three-row two-column asymmetrical design. The highlights are: The poster creates a strong visual impact through the depiction of a cross roads (as represented by the text running across and up and down the poster). The use of white reinforces the message of cleanliness, hygiene and health. The brown lends a positive, stable influence while the yellow imbues a "sense of warmth" (L Eiseman, 2000). The colours create a traditional feel to the poster. Simple and effective use of text again makes for good legibility. The asymmetry of text and imagery create an energy and sense of movement within the poster. The combined use of type with photographic imagery running across the poster creates a visual hierarchy dividing the poster in two. This allows the white space to create a lot of power helping to "communicate the message" (C Knight, J Glaser, 2003). Illustrations 5 through 8 are informational posters about mentally handicapped people using computers as a means of expression. In these posters, we see: Purple instils a feeling of "newness and cutting edge" (L Eiseman, 2000). This is a perfect colour for this theme. The use of blue and green in the background, to create an analogous colour combination with the flesh tone, seize the viewer's attention. The stylized imagery of a person's head evokes a sense of happiness, industry and achievement. Clear and simple text enhances the legibility of the copy. The use of typography, and illustrative element for the eye, help reinforce the message to the reader. This is a simple left aligned format, yet the angle of the background imagery gives the poster an asymmetry and adds a further burst of energy. Though created for large-scale digital printing, they are easily printable on smaller scale litho. The final poster, Illustration-9, is a Health Promotion Poster Presentation for use at a health conference. This contains a simple three-column format. What makes this a good poster : The first column has a title running up along the side of the poster. This helps to "quickly orient the audience as to what the work is" (M Alley, 2003). Once again, text layout is simple and aids readability. Different sections of the poster are easy for viewers to locate e.g. Aims, Outcomes etc. If an audience wants to find specific sections of a poster, those should be "easy to locate" (P Wilbur, M Burke 1999). The pink colour used in the poster shows the relationship between the findings section and the title of the poster, as well as creating a contrast within the poster itself. In conclusion, whether a poster is designed for litho printing, digital printing or screen-printing the same basic rules seem to apply. The most important being clarity and legibility, after all, posters impart information to viewers. Simplicity of design, design should help "reveal the information not conceal" (N Brody, 1996). The choice of the appropriate colour and typography plays a major role in attracting and holding attention of the viewer. Colour, graphics and design are a means, not an end, and must integrate with the other elements of a poster. Notes: Please check if I have placed the quote marks at the right places, if not - correct. I have added a thought or two, and highlighted them. If you do not like them just delete. It will make no difference to the flow of language. I think that the question is in the first highlight in paragraph 1. Maybe you should add a few lines in the conclusions part to take care of your tutors remark "use fewer examples and concentrate on the general principles they demonstrate" - maybe even take out Illustration 3 and use the key observations in some other illustration. Lastly, is it better to use a comma between the name and year in the references, I have added, but if it is not the norm in your school take them out All the best. Read More