Understanding Visual Appeal

To understand what is good and what is bad in a poster design, consider studying the components of the design. Does the poster have proximity? Do the words have a connection with the graphic? Is there repetition? Is the poster easy to follow? Does the poster provides enough information? Asking these type of questions will help decide if that poster is a good design.

Too Good 4 U

When considering a good poster design, all that needs to be done is look at its elements; font, colors, placement, and images. Make sure that the font is clear and readable, and the colors compliment each other. Also make sure there is proximity in regards to the graphics and the poster is easy to follow based on where words and images are placed. The images should also match what the poster is trying to convey. Look at some of the following posters that are well designed.

The first thing I noticed about this poster was the colors that popped out. The color usage is simple, yet works completely in unison together all over the poster. The theme throughout the poster is clearly in regards to music and a concert that is going to be held, and the correlation of music notes around the font and other images works really well. This poster is also clear, concise and easy to follow. Any viewer looking at this poster can see the giant guitar on the side of the page, and I believe the size of it actually compliments the text. The font could be improved, as it could be seen as childish, but it flows well in the overall aspects of the poster. This poster has clear and concise information regarding the event, and is easily understood by any viewer in any age group.

This poster has a lot of details involved in its creation, yet it was executed perfectly. The color usage throughout the poster is minimal, but a lot of color wouldn’t have worked well with what the poster is trying to show. The pop out of pink color used on the helmets also attracts the viewer’s attention. The placement of the images are in the direct center of the poster to catch the viewer’s attention. It is also organized well, as the words are in close proximity of the images so that everything coincides with one another. The graphic used in this poster is also a good choice for the message trying to be portrayed. The images are futuristic looking in a sense. The font used is small and hard to read, but it is cleanly and precisely everything that people need to know in a very small area.

This poster may seem very simple and plain, however, simple in this case, is more! This poster conveys the overall message in a way that the viewer can easily comprehend. The graphic is an outline of Willie Nelson who is known for his braids and the cowboy hat as he wears it most of the time. The split at the end of his hair is used as the L’s in his name, which was creatively well thought out and placed so the image connects into the words. The colors are colors that Willie Nelson wears, sort of a country palette. The font that is used is plain, but does just what it needs to do in order not over-stimulate the viewer, and the artist created stars on top of the letter “i” in his name to add a little more flare to it.

Make It or Break It

Here are a few poorly made designs.

The colors throughout the poster are very eye catching and pop out to anyone passing by it, but the use of font is what makes the poster bad. It is hard to read, not big enough and the proximity of the letter to one another are too close together. There is an image of a silhouette of a female with something coming out of her mouth, which could be portrayed negatively to younger viewers.

The images used in this poster are attention grabbing and show the artist on it which will make people more interested to attend. The color usage is simple but the orange and the blue do not compliment each other very well. The font and text are difficult to read and focus on unless you take your time and carefully look at what is being said. Everything in this poster is in close proximity to each other as well.

The font in this poster is the biggest issue. The leading that the creator used makes the font itself unreadable and hard to focus in on. The color palette is good, but the way the color palette is used throughout the poster makes it harder on the viewer to pick a place to start looking at.

Creating a poster design is a complicated process, as there are many aspects that you need to take into consideration. You need the right images, the correct spacing, a font to catch a viewer’s eye and a color scheme that doesn’t clash. If you can master all those things, you will have a product that completes its purpose.