A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Figure 1

CREATED BY
MATT CARLSON, SAMANTHA BECK, CHRIS WANLESS

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Style
Introduction
Style encompasses the look of the
poster as well as what information
the audience obtains from it. Style
can be dependent on the purpose of
the poster, the kind of event it is
promoting, the content, and the
intended impact of the poster.

Figure 2 shows a promotional poster

for a concert from the band Cake.
As you can see, the style is very
simple but unique, giving only the
most important information about
where and when the event is taking
place.

The Basics
Purpose: The purpose of an event
poster can be represented by words or
images. Whether obvious or subtle, the
audience should be able to glean the
important information from your poster.
Impact: The poster should catch the
readers eye and leave a lasting
impact. By using eye- popping fonts or
images, you can draw readers in
quickly.
Event Specificity: Depending on the
type of event, the style of a poster will
include different artwork and images
aimed at the specific target audience.
Content: Content is also tied to the
target audience and type of event.
Whether it is a date and time or just a
description of the
event, the audience needs to know
what youre promoting.

Figure 2

Figure 3 is a simple promotional

poster for a concert tour. The color
scheme and unique action make this
poster eye-catching. The superhero
theme depicts members of the band
and superhuman, giving the
audience a heightened opinion of
the group just by looking at the
poster.

In Figure 2 and Figure 3, readers can

see two examples of posters that
include the basic principles discussed.
They are both concert posters, but their
styles are unique and attention
grabbing due to their color schemes
and graphics.
Figure 3

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Purpose & Impact

Introduction
When it comes to the purpose and
impact of a poster, there are two
questions to keep in mind:

What should they know? Your

audience should be able to look at
your poster and know exactly what it is
promoting. Since the space on a
poster is limited, it is extremely
important to include only the
information you think is vital for the
audience. The purpose may be
obvious or subtle, but the reader
should understand it nonetheless.

How will it be
remembered?
Too many posters are generic and
forgettable. To achieve a lasting
impact, the design of the poster must
be unique and memorable to the
reader, so it draws them in quickly
and they arent able to put it out of
their mind immediately after seeing
it.
As you can see in Figure 4, the
layout and imaging of a poster has
an impact on how readers interpret
and scan the information. The main
idea of the poster is placed right at
the top in large, bold print. This
draws the readers eye to the top of
the page and gives them a reference
as to where to take their eyes as
they scan the rest of the poster.
Readers should be able to scan your
poster and still understand the most
important information.

Figure 4

This example incorporates the

key concepts discussed in this
section. It is an example of an
informational poster, which is not
created for a specific event, but
contains information that the
reader will find important and
engaging. The main purpose is
stated right at the top, and the
supplementary key points are
presented in large, clear print.
This assists the reader in
knowing what information is
most important.

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Event Specificity &

Content
Obviously, all event posters are
created and designed uniquely for
specific events. When creating a
poster, the design and content must be
very relevant to the type of event
youre promoting.

Event Specificity
When it comes to design and
imagery, readers should be able to
get and idea of the type of event your
poster is promoting without even
reading the content. For example, if
you are promoting a concert, some
type of image relating to music is a
general standard. If the poster is for a
sporting event, team logos or other
sports related images get the point
across.

Content
When promoting an event,
essential information must be included
on a poster. This includes things such
as date, time and location of the
event. Contact information is another
thing that is almost always seen on an
even poster, as well as the cost of
attending, if applicable. If the location
of the event is not necessarily well
known, you might also include
directions.

Figure 5

Notice the design and imagery used in

Figure 5. Since tie-dye color schemes are
sometimes associated with the 1960s,
readers have an idea of what the poster
is for without even reading it. Keeping
with the 60s theme, the font is
representative of what many readers
would associate with that time period.
Finally, the information is organized in a
way that makes it easy for readers to
comprehend all they need to know about
the event. Since Figure 5 is an event
poster, it includes the name of the event,
as well as sections for important
information such as location, date and
time, as well as contact information if
they wish to know more about the event.

Figure 5 is an example of an event

poster, specifically a 60s music
festival. The example incorporates the
key concepts discussed in this section.

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Color
Introduction
Color can show similarity between
objects but also separate groups of
information. In Figure 6, the color
orange grouped the most important
information, the band that was
playing and the tickets available.
The color green hosted background
information.
Color can place emphasis on certain
words, making them distinct. In
Figure 6, all the type is in black, but
the "IN CONCERT" is in white
creating an emphasis on the concert
part of the poster.
Advantages
Appeal: Color makes the
information pop out and catches the
eye. Certain colors influence emotions
and behavior and can be
comforting or serve as a warning. In
Figure 6, the contrast between the
green and orange is psychedelic and
makes the titles of the poster stand
out while creating an appealing and
fun atmosphere.
Readability: Color breaks the
information into sections and makes it
easier to scan. The orange is more
eye-catching therefore it holds more
essential information. Similar colors
can connect information and show
differences between information.

Figure 6

The date and picture in Figure

6 also pop out because the
background is white instead
of the usual green or orange
color.

Figure 7

Use colors that look attractive

and contrast well together to
create an appealing poster. A
good pair of colors is orange
and blue. But the two colors
red and pink do not contrast
well together because they
are too similar in hue.

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Balance
Introduction
Balance provides a sense of unity
to the page while not overloading the
document with graphics and or words.
Certain graphics and pictures have a
visual weight. It depends on the size,
shape, and color of the graphic.

The "Bruno Mars" poster or Figure 9

shows unity and clarity by having a color
scheme that contrasts but also catches
the eye without distracting the reader. It
has two boxes of different sizes with
simple information that conveys the main
point and does not distract the reader.

Advantages
Appeal: Balance is important
because it gives a sense of flow to
the poster. Having the poster
balanced creates a sense of
alignment and unity. Balance makes
the poster not distracting to the
readers.
Readability: Having symmetry
throughout the poster creates unity
and clarity. When the graphics are
balanced, the flow of information is
accessible and the reader is not
distracted.

information vertically and

horizontally to create symmetry.
Sometimes asymmetrical layouts
work to catch the eye. In Figure 8,
there is a lot of color, different font
sizes and boxes that catch the eye
but confuses the reader. As one
can see, Figure 8 is overloaded
with information, which can cause
irritation, and readers will skip over
the poster.

Figure 9

Figure 8

The document should balance the

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Sequencing
Introduction
Sequencing is the order in which
readers encounter design objects as
they skim or scan the page.
Organized sequencing provides the
reader a natural flow for the readers
eyes to follow. A nice flow lets the
readers know where to begin and
offers a clear path. Within sequencing
are two principles called patterning
and focusing. These techniques help
give posters a cohesive effect.

Advantages
Appeal is another important concern for
technical documents. Having effective
patterning and focusing in your poster
makes it more appealing to readers.
Readability is a major concern in technical
writing. Using the elements included in
sequencing helps improve the readers
ability to scan a document.

Figure 10

Patterning
Patterning the page in the way our
eyes are trained to read, scan, and
skim pages helps readers
successfully navigate documents. The
most common pattern in the English
language, and many European
languages, is the Z pattern. This
creates what are known as power
zones, which span the top and left
side of the page. The above poster,
however, uses the top and right side
of the page.

Figure 11

Focusing
Focusing helps users focus their
attention dynamically. This method is
generally used in posters, signs,
catalogs, etc. Focusing is a major part
of visually intense documents. These
techniques draw the readers eyes in a
certain pattern. With a poster such as
the one above, the readers eyes are
drawn down vertically. The headlining
band comes first, followed by the
secondary acts, ending with the date of
the show.

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Graphics
Introduction

Advantages

Using graphics in an event poster is

crucial to its success. Whether the
graphic is a chart, checklist, or any other
visual image, it draws readers attention.
Many posters use photographs of the
band, other posters use drawings such
as logos or emblems.

Appeal: Photographs and drawings create

a deeper connection to the purpose of the
poster. When paired with text, the poster
Readability: Graphics on event posters
help readers understand what is being
presented in the text. Images help readers
retain more of the textual information.

Photographs in a Poster Including

a photograph in a poster is the best way
to reproduce visual detail. The use of
photographs in a poster generally has
two major areas of concern. The
photograph can show too much
information. This might mean it has
distracting content. The photograph
might share too little information,
meaning the relationship to the poster is
confusing or lost. The Lynyrd Skynyrd
poster to the right uses a balance,
combining a basic background with an
image of the band.

Figure
12

Drawings
Using drawings in a poster have the
potential to connect the readers to the
content in ways photographs might not. In
the instance of music and bands, logos
and emblems often hold meaning to the
bands fans. The Rush poster to the right
uses the Starman logo/emblem to help
fans of Rush instantly recognize the logo.
A photograph in the same poster might
not draw as many fans because they
wouldnt necessarily recognize the
members image. The logo is a graphic
that the band uses on their albums.

Figure
13

A Guide to Understanding Event Posters

Enclosure
Introduction
Enclosure shows separation and
group complex objects.
Positive elements like borders
surround an object to distinguish it
from other information. Negative
elements like white space can act like
a border to make the information seem
important as well.

Advantages
Appeal: The use of boxes catches the
eye and makes the poster more open
to read. Short explanations in the
small boxes make the document more
appealing to read rather than a
document with long paragraphs.
Readability: The negative and
positive elements of enclosure
separate the information so it is
easier and faster to scan.

Figure 14

In Figure 14, positive elements would be the

blue boxes that have information. A negative
element is the title "Single Enclosure System
for Kitchen Appliances" because it does not
have a border outline.

Enclosure separates complex

information and processes into a more
readable format. Enclosure may
decreases the confusion readers may
have when reading the poster by
grouping information in a readable
format.
In Figure 15, all the information is
enclosed in the green space and the
font is slanted which makes the
information difficult to read. Figure 15
is art but as informational concert
posters, it is not readily
understandable.
Figure 15