What Should A Good Poster Look Like Part One

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Before you get down to work and start designing a poster, it is essential to understand what makes a good poster. It would also be best to consider which software and which visual materials (photos, graphics, etc.) are available.  

Before creating the amazing poster printing, you should know precisely what the most important message is, why it is important, what is new about it, and how it can be substantiated. 

A Good Poster Follows The Principle: 

  • Look at me! 
  • Read me! 
  • Ask me! 
  • Look at me! 

For a poster to be read at all, it must attract the attention of potential viewers. The title should be legible from a distance of 5 meters and at the same time contain the summary of the poster or the so-called "take-home message."

So it should be meaningful, relevant, and unique so that it attracts attention. Finding a good title is not always easy. The following steps can help: 

  • Summarize the content of the poster in five sentences, 
  • Summarize the five sentences in one sentence, 
  • Choose keywords and phrases, 
  • Get the title through different combinations of keywords. 

Avoid "Hanging" Titles: 

  • Not: "The greatest sorcerers of Middle-earth: Gandalf and Saruman." 
  • But: "Gandalf and Saruman, Middle-earth's greatest magicians." 

Correct Capitalization: 

  • Not: "Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Arctic" 
  • But: "Climate change and biodiversity in the Arctic." 

The overall visual impression should be appealing. The rule of thumb to fill 50% of the used area with pictures and 50% with text does not make sense for every poster but should serve as a guideline for the preparation. 

A clear structure is just as appealing as a good choice of colors. This can be pretty provocative.