Objectives
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Realize why people love posters
Learn the purpose of posters
Understand the context
Appreciate a poster designed as social commentary
Definition
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A poster is a two-dimensional, single-page format used to
inform (display information, data, schedules, or offerings), and
to persuade (promote people, causes, places, events, products,
companies, services, groups, or organizations)
The Purpose of a Poster
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The purpose of any poster is to
communicate a message.
 In order to communicate a
message, first, a poster
first must grab a viewer’s
attention.
Poster Enclosed in a Bob Dylan
Record Album: Dylan, 1967
© Milton Glaser
History
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Jane Avril: Poster
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Broadsides preceded posters.
 Used to communicate
ephemeral information -make announcements,
publicize news and events -as well as to promote
merchandise
By 1900, colorful posters won
over viewers and artists, alike.
 Ever since, the public has
embraced posters as both
visual communication and
art objects worthy of display
in their homes and offices.
Context
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Posters must be designed with context in mind. (Understanding
the context for any graphic design is crucial.)
A poster competes for attention with surrounding posters, outdoor
boards, neon signs, and any other visual material.
Most posters are meant to be hung in public places and seen from
a distance.
Mission Mall: Posters
© Muller Bressler Brown, Kansas City, MO
Conceptual Development
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A sound design concept is the basis for the design of a poster.
Several issues must be addressed simultaneously in a poster.
 What will make the average theatergoer, moviegoer, or
concertgoer buy a ticket?
 What makes this poster’s attraction, cause, or brand different
from the other choices out there?
 What are you promoting?
 Why should someone be interested in this social cause?
Political view?
 How can you craft the message so the target audience believes
what you’re conveying?
Design Development
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Like all other graphic design, the success of a poster depends on
expressing the design concept through a cooperative combination
of type and image, interesting visualization, and considered
composition.
Explore techniques to see which ones might work best for your
concepts.
 Printmaking techniques: monotype, woodcut, linocut, etching,
dry point, intaglio, mezzotint, among others
 Screen Printing (serigraphy)
 Letterpress
 Woodblock
 Mixed media and experimental media: Experiment by
combining different visual art media
 For example, combine paint with collage or combine
photography with drawings
Composition Basics
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Primary goals of poster design:
 Grab attention
 Set it apart
 Communicate key messages
 Single surface; one unit
© Oxide Design Co., Omaha, NE: Poster Series
Drew Davies, Joe Sparano, Adam Torpin
Social Commentary
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As a mass communication
vehicle, the poster can be
used to voice dissent, to
incite, to propagandize, or to
inform.
Whether worrisome
propaganda or in the service
of the public good, a poster
can potentially influence
many.
“Again?”: Poster
© Dan Reisinger
Social Commentary
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In the tradition of giving
voice to ideas that matter,
contemporary designers
create posters for a myriad of
causes, voicing dissent or
hope, protesting or urging.
Peace – Godzilla and King Kong (Commemoration
of the 40th Anniversary of Hiroshima: Poster
© Chermayeff & Geismar Inc., New York
Summary
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A poster is a two-dimensional, single-surface format used to
inform and to persuade or promote.
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Many designers and visual artists have embraced the poster as
a graphic communication vehicle.
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The public has also embraced the poster as art and as a
symbolic expression of individuality.
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The purpose of any poster is to communicate a message. To do
that, a poster must first grab a viewer’s attention.
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Before posters became a visual communication staple,
broadsides were used to communicate ephemeral
information—to make announcements and publicize news and
events, as well as to promote merchandise.
Summary
•
Most posters are meant to be hung in public places and to be
seen from a distance.
•
The success of a poster depends on expressing the design
concept through a cooperative combination of type and image,
interesting visualization, and considered composition.
•
Several issues must be addressed simultaneously in a poster.
•
Explore techniques to see which ones might work best for your
concepts.
•
Primary goals of poster design: (1) Grab attention, (2) Set it apart,
(3) Communicate key messages, (4) Single surface; one unit
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Contemporary designers create posters for a myriad of causes,
voicing dissent or hope, protesting or urging.