9 MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ADVERTISING POSTER - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Some of the main characteristics of an advertising poster are its attractive design, eye-catching text, brevity of what you want to convey or the rational use of color.

A poster is one of the tools that exists to advertise an idea, company, person, product or service.

The poster consists of a sheet of cardboard, paper, PVC, cardboard or other material, on which images and / or text are printed in order to communicate a specific advertising message.

The most common objective of this type of resource is commercial, but it is not the only one. There are also informative, political, cultural and religious posters.

The message of a poster is usually accompanied by other advertising resources since it is generally part of an advertising or propaganda campaign.

The layout and design of the posters respond to a strategy to capture the attention of a specific audience.

In fact, an indicator of the quality of a poster is the effect it produces on its target audience, since its purpose is to inform and make the brand, idea or product it promotes memorable, calling for a specific action to its audience.

Poster is an Anglicism admitted by the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy to refer to posters that function as a means of artistic expression.

Depending on their artistic value, they can be of great interest to private collectors.

9 important characteristics of the advertising poster

Text

In a poster, the main premise is to attract attention, but another very important premise is that the text is read and understood correctly.

This requires that the text be of an appropriate size within the poster.

It also requires the use of a typeface that can be read quickly and easily. The most popular fonts for this type of material are: Times New Roman or Arial.

Some recommend that the size of that font always exceed 24 points.

The orientation of the text in Western culture is from left to right, generally. Although sometimes the designer takes licenses in terms of this rule to take advantage of the surprise factor.

It also happens that some spelling or syntax rules are skipped for the same purpose.

The text is usually very little, but if it includes many words these are usually placed with bullets. It is important that the main idea can be located at eye level.

The poster usually includes a title or copy that summarizes the main idea or slogan of the advertising campaign.

Adapting your content

The adaptation of the content of any advertising material is crucial and this does not exempt the poster.

The publicist is obliged to know his audience very well so that the message is appropriate to the age, sex, culture, educational level and even the religion and political tendency of his audience.

If a poster is to attract the attention of children, the design should include bright colors and very sharp images, for example.

Also, it is common that positive messages are preferred. However, it is essential that the approach is made respecting the values ​​and customs of the target audience of the message.

A poster can contain a very positive message, but if the culture of the audience is decontextualized or not respected, it can be misinterpreted and cause damage to the image of the brand, company or person promoting it.

Brevity

Another characteristic of a poster is that its message is quite brief.

The image is usually the main protagonist. Especially, from the last decade of the 20th century.

The idea is that in 20 seconds, on average, it is possible to read all the text that the poster contains.

Original design

The design of a poster can raise or lower the message you are trying to communicate.

The poster should be designed in a logical sense. It must always be assumed that whoever sees the poster has very little time to do so, either because they are walking or in a car.

It should also be assumed that the reader of the poster will see it in the order they want, so its design should guide and facilitate that reading.

It can be inspired by previous designs or with the one used in other formats, but creativity and originality are ideal.

Shocking images

The image is the star of the 21st century, but long before it has been a pillar of advertising.

The mixture of illustrations and photographs can be the ingredient of a great poster.

The images should reinforce the message and explain it almost without text support, on their own.

Of course, its symbolic value matters, but to guarantee its understanding by the public, the text appears “closing the circle”.

Rational use of color

Color is another star factor within the poster. Its function is to give context to the main message.

Although the use of contrasting colors is privileged, the rule is that those from the brand's corporate color palette or those associated with the feelings and emotions that are intended to be provoked are used.

Monochrome posters are not effective, but the use of color cannot be abused either. Its use must be strategic and with a great sense of aesthetics.

Descriptive

Although it seems obvious, it is important to include among the characteristics of the poster, the descriptive dimension of it.

And it is that it must state and highlight the main attributes of the idea or the product that is being advertised.

In this sense, clarity and referentiality must be taken into account. In fact, the information included should be relevant to that description.

Convincing

The “story” the poster tells must be credible enough to persuade your audience to take the desired action.

The arguments, visual or textual, must convince the audience that the idea is true or that the product is the best.

Has a goal

Although this list presents it last, and it might seem obvious, this is a fundamental characteristic: there is always a goal in the making and publication of a poster.

In this sense, each of the elements included in it must aim at and contribute to that objective.

Finally, it is essential that all the elements that are included in a poster are consistent and coherent with the message to be transmitted.

References

1. Black, Valerie (2013). Recovered from: posters-west-rand.blogspot.com
2. National Center for Biotechnology Information (s / f). Recovered from: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3. Olachea, Occi (2013). 5 tips to design an impressive advertising poster. Recovered from: paredro.com
4. Sleight, Deborah (2009). Characteristics that make a poster Interesting. OMERAD and Michigan State University. Recovered from: omerad.msu.edu
5. wikipedia. org