You’ve got something you want to share, and that’s awesome! But now you’ve got to figure out how to share that information in a way that is both engaging and informational. If you’re like most people, you’ll put together a Word document with all the information you want to include and then spend about two hours trying to arrange it in a way that looks decent, which is often easier said than done. But struggle no longer, we are here to help. We’ve put together some tips on how to design a great poster.

What Do You Want to Say?

The first step in creating a poster is to determine what you want this poster to do? Are you trying to get people to come to an event? Apply for a job? Buy a product? Your goal for the poster should be addressed in the headline, the largest text on the document. If you’re trying to get someone to apply for a job, your headline should make it clear that you’re hiring. A simple, direct headline like “We’re hiring!” or “Looking for a job?” allows the viewer can quickly identify what the poster is telling them and grabs the attention of someone interested in what you are offering.

Contrast is Key

Having high contrast in color between different elements of your poster will help make the poster pop and grab the viewer’s attention. Having a high contrast between the text and whatever is behind it will also make it much easier to read. This can be especially difficult if there is an image behind the text. Laying a color or gradient over the top of the image will create a more solid background color, making for a more consistent contrast.

Give Plenty of Space

We know you have a lot of information to share, but putting too much text on a poster can be overwhelming to the eye and cause many people not to read any of it. Condensing your text as much as possible and leaving only the critical information will create a more engaging poster and often lead people to read more than they would have otherwise. 

Check Out Some Templates.

You don’t have to do it by yourself, there are thousands of examples across the internet of the many different creative ways to layout a poster. Looking at these examples will give you a clearer picture of what you like to see in a poster, how others layout information and may inspire your own design ideas as well.