With so much media existing solely in a digital format, it is easy to forget that traditional media can have just as much impact when used properly to get a message across. In the world of business, and especially advertising, you will need to use every resource and technique available if you want to make an impact.
While we may spend a lot of our time staring at screens, sometimes seeing information displayed physically in the real world may help us to better absorb and understand what it is trying to tell us. At the very least, we are not always near screens and posters may help to convey information even in areas without screens or displays.
Posters can also be created in variable sizes, placed on most surfaces and can be used to display a wide range of information. While computers and mobile devices may have the edge in their ability to broadcast sound and moving images, they are reliant on a power source and are generally hard to transport. Even laptops or tablets, admittedly capable of broadcasting from anywhere, tend to be smaller than most posters, capable only of displaying a small amount of information at any one time. If information needs to be displayed to a larger number of people, a large poster will also be visible to more viewers at once.
A lot of time and effort is put into designing online and digital ads and media. When designing your posters, the same principles should apply if you want to stand any chance of drawing people’s attention away from their precious smart-phone screens.
Your first step will be to think about your intended audience. What exactly are you trying to achieve by putting up these posters? Considering your purpose will help you to determine the style of poster you are trying to create. Posters displaying a simple message (for example, billboards and ad campaigns) will need to be very visual, focusing on a simple message without too many other distractions. Meanwhile, a more informative poster might include more information and far more detail.
To fully capitalize on the communication potential of large poster printing however, there are a few design elements you should always consider.
It is always important that any text or data on your poster follows a logical or hierarchical order. Viewers tend to read text from top to bottom and left to right (it sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people attempt wacky hard to read layouts). The width of the text columns should also be the right size for readers to scan. This will depend on the size of the poster however, a larger poster may call for a smaller amount of larger text instead of reams of smaller words and figures. Remember, posters are best used for conveying enough information to inspire the viewer to learn more.
Designed and written properly, posters can be a great way of getting your message across. Even the best posters however can be let down by poor production and printing. For this reason you might want to consider going to a large poster printing company to get the job done well. Most of these businesses operate predominately online and, in many cases will allow you to upload your design via web application.
