Liam Besneatte-Cullinane

ART-210, Wright
10/7/2019

Effective Poster Design

During my research and throughout my life, there have been multiple key elements in the
design and styles of posters that I find profoundly aesthetically pleasing when emphasized.

● Typography
○ A stylistic use of typography can be absolutely essential to the success of some
poster designs. It is the manner in which we most effectively communicate ideas
and information, and that gives the stylistic art form of typography a greater
significance in design. Especially when a font or typeface is drawn or illustrated,
it takes on a life of its own. Example:
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● Minimalism
○ Minimalism has always registered with me as a risky but rewarding style. It’s
easy to appear facile in minimalism by taking out too many elements of complex
design, however when utilized correctly, a minimalist style provides clear,
concise, clean, and confident display of information and motifs. Example:
 ○

● Colour
○ Colour is another key element of solid and engaging design. Since our eyes are
able to perceive a huge range of the colour spectrum this opens near infinite
combinations and compositions of colour based designs. And since certain
colours have related emotional significance in our society, colour functions as a
medium not only for our vision, but for our feelings. Example:

● Contrast
 ○ Contrast is another crucial elements for effective poster design in my eyes. High
contrast images are more bold and direct, getting straight to the point and giving
the audience exactly what they need. High contrast simultaneously creates a sense
of drama and energy. Contrast in design downplays the perceptive reality of an
image while giving it a sense of clarity and significance. Example:

● Content
○ Perhaps obviously, another key important element is simply what the composition
of the poster contains. Usually, posters are created in reference to a larger scale
work- a movie, a show, a concert, etc. In relation to these, I think a poster should
communicate the most it can about the large with the least amount of wasted
content and space in the small scale. So for a movie, a good, effective poster will
communicate a few key elements from the plot, but leave out superfluous details
and unesential motifs. Example: