In this day and age, where most business marketing strategies are done online, some of the more traditional ways are still relevant and powerful. One of these is the promotional poster. However, it needs careful thought and planning to come up with a stellar design. Here are the elements you need to include in your promotional poster design to make them truly effective.

What is a Promotional Poster Design?

A promotional poster is defined as a type of poster created and designed in various colors, materials, mechanisms, shapes, sizes, and styles used by a business, company, or organization to promote its goods, products, or services. An effective poster design is one that is capable of quickly engaging your audience and relaying a message that makes an impact in their minds and emotions.

If you have a product or event that you want to promote, here are the elements that you need to include when designing a successful poster:

Information

complete information on posters


Of course, you need to put your information in your poster, that’s a given. But it isn’t as simple as dumping them on a canvas and hoping for the best. Too much information on a poster can cause your viewers to become confused and overwhelmed.

To avoid this, carefully choose which information you need to put in. If your poster is about an event, you can probably skip the parking locations, the price of early-bird tickets, and so on.

Headlines

kiss billboard


Use the KISS principle in writing your headlines and all other poster content—Keep It Short and Simple. Make it straightforward to avoid boring your readers. Just a thoughtfully crafted headline is enough to inform them, all you need is lots of creativity.

Create a dozen headlines and choose which one best describes your product or event. Forget the small details. Take this poster of Lord Kitchener as a model of using the simplest headlines yet making the biggest impact. 

colonel finger pointing

Details

wall poster prints

Essential details such as your contact info, where to buy the product, or when the event is happening are the ones you need to include in your poster. The key is to keep it short, concise, and straight to the point.

Visuals

dlsr camera

Boost your poster design with eye-catching photography, illustration, and graphics. It’s a no-brainer: imagery attracts attention. Most people will be passing by your poster, and you need to send your message across in as little as a few seconds, so make it count with visuals that provoke interest.

To have a greater impact, use the correct resolution and typography that flows well together with the visuals. Photos should be high-quality, and illustrations should be relevant. Don’t use unnecessary images and design elements, these will just make your poster look cluttered.

Deliver your message at a glace with the right poster design

Catch your customer using industry specific visuals that make you stand out from the competition.

Design this for me!

Typography

starbucks logo

A careful selection of the fonts you’ll use in your poster design can be as important as photography or graphics. Typography alone can invoke emotions, and the use of the right fonts and their hierarchy can go a long way in making an impressive poster. You can use it to put emphasis, or you can go with the minimalist approach by simply using fonts sans images. 

This Starbucks poster is a great example of using only typography in making their statement.

Call-to-Action

Now that you’ve added the pertinent information to your poster, you need to let the viewers know what to do next. The call-to-action part is what encourages your prospects to take part in your event or buy your product.

Our team of designers knows how to apply these elements to ensure that your promotional poster gets attention. Here’s how you can request a poster design that will generate impressions and views.

Tips for a Great Poster Design

To create a promotional poster design that converts viewers into customers, here are some tips you can follow:

Define Your Objectives

colorful computer icons


Ask yourself, what do I want to achieve? What are my goals? Before starting out on the drawing board, you need a clear definition of what your objectives are. Are you planning to disrupt the industry, generate buzz, or introduce a new product? Your goals will predetermine the overall design of any marketing piece you create, so you need to sit down and contemplate what you want to achieve before doing anything else.

Know Your Audience

Having a clear understanding of what your audience wants is essential to make that poster work for you. Bold fonts and bright colors may not appeal to the older generation but will most likely get the attention of the millennials.

Less is More

less is more simple design


Another rule you can follow when designing your poster is the “Less is More” rule. As mentioned above, keep things simple and straightforward. Don’t use colors, images, or typography that won’t amount to anything in the overall design.

Since your viewers have very limited time to look at your poster, you need to avoid overloading them with information. If you can, give room to white space so your design can breathe and make it easy on your viewers’ eyes. In addition, your poster will be seen from a distance, make sure that all the details can be read from afar.

Use Contrast

colorful lemons


Contrast in art is what makes it more powerful. It is one of the main principles of art as defined by artists, historians, and critics. The use of complementary colors can greatly influence how people react to your poster. The same goes for the use of images, fonts, and even texture.

Follow These Four Easy Steps in Requesting a Promotional Poster Design

1: Create

Penji streamlines the design request process so that a designer can work on your project as soon as possible. The only thing we need from you is details (and maybe some references or examples).

We make it simple, so you can receive the designs you need in a snap.

2: Connect

Once you submit your design project, a Penji designer will message you once they’re assigned to fulfill your work. It’s to acknowledge they received your work and notify you when they have any other questions regarding your request.

Penji hires the top 2% of the designers. You can guarantee professionalism and quality from our designers. Check out the designs they’ve created for our other clients.

3: Revise

In 24 to 48 hours, you will receive your first draft. Normally, the first draft may not be the design you had in mind. Of course, we want to create a design that you’ll love. That’s why in any Penji plan, you have unlimited revisions at no cost to you!

We know you might need to promote your event or product as part of your campaign soon. So, most revisions are done within 24 hours.

4: Download

Once you receive a design that meets your standards or exceeds expectations, you can download it immediately. You won’t have to wait for it through email or a download link. The file is stored in the Penji cloud so that you can access it anytime you wish.

Final Thoughts

These design elements that you need to include in your promotional poster design are only a few of the many more that you can use. There are no hard rules that you need to follow, all you need is to explore and learn how to use them to your advantage.

Your organization may need more than just a promotional poster. After all, you might need other advertising or marketing materials to generate more leads and boost sales. Penji is the best graphic design partner for that.

For a fixed monthly rate, you’ll get all the designs you need to promote your business. Besides marketing materials, you can get a website design (or refresh) on the plan, plus custom illustrations that suit your branding. Click on this link to sign up for a Penji plan and join the club as other brands have.