How to design a poster

How to design a poster

Hi Design Aspirants,
Design Entrance Exam like NIFT, NID & CEED gives lot of importance to Poster Designing. Students are regularly asked to draw poster on given topics.  Hence for any design aspirants, to learn to make effective posters is very crucial. So let’s understand what is poster making and what are the elements examiners looks for in a poster.

First let’s understand what is a Poster?

Poster is usually designed on a paper to communicate the message.  Posters can be textual or graphical, but it should contain more of illustration and less of text. Posters can be used by advertisers, propagandists, protesters, travelers, etc. to communicate their messages. Hence Poster should be designed in such a manner that the message is received quickly and clearly by the target audience.To make Poster designing easier for students I have jotted down some important steps which needs to be followed, for making a striking poster.


1.First understand for what purpose the poster is being designed.

Before starting designing the poster, student should read the question given thoroughly and should understand message that need to be conveyed through it. One should also be clear about the purpose for which it is going to be used. As the purpose effects the way the poster is to be designed.


2.Who would be the target audience?

Designer should know who they are designing for. As many artistic elements in the poster like colours, fonts, design, etc. are determined according to the age group of the audience. Supposedly, if a poster is being designed for a Age group of 10- 15 years kids, then bright colours should be used. However, if it is being designed for promoting a corporate event, then colours used will be more sober.


3.Poster is Visual representation.

Posters are visual representation of information. Hence, students should keep less in writing and use more of images to communicate the information.


4.Poster should be communicating the message effectively.

Posters should be visually striking. It should get the attention of passer – by. The design of the poster should entice the audience to look and understand what it has to say.


5.Readability and fonts.

Students should never use many different fonts on one poster. This makes the poster Loud. Do not scatter the text everywhere in the poster, keep it at one side. The fonts should be simple and clear. Headings are very important, it should be readable from some distance.


6.Colors.

Colors are very important in any designing work. Similarly colors plays a very important role in designing a poster. Students should decide the color palette they are going to use on basis of the audience targeted. Try to be consistent between the images you put and the colour you use.


7.White Spaces.

White spaces also known as negative spaces. White space is the space between different elements which contains nothing. When one designs it usually concentrates on the positive spaces and the negative spaces follows. One should be aware about the negative space created in its design and should utilize it more effectively to convey a stronger message.


8.Go out of the Box

This is the most important quotient what an examiner is looking for in your Poster. The idea behind your poster must be unique. You should be able to catch the attention of passerby, and this is only possible when you are able to put down your ideas differently and effectively. Positively surprising the audience is very important. Out of the box thinking or creating unique posters is what will strike the cord with the examiner


9.Neatness and Visually appealing

Students should design neatly. A Neat and aesthetically good design always tends to attract the examiners.
These are the few points students must consider while designing a Poster in exam. Lastly students must remember one thing that your Idea should be novel. That is what examiners it looking for.

Some of the Important and trending topics which are asked in NIFT|NID|CEED Exam are given below. Try to Design a poster in each of the given topic and post it on the blog.  
  • Polio eradication
  • Swach bharat
  • Clean Energy
  • Corruption
  • Women Empowerment
  • Water Conservation