7 Elements To Consider When Designing An Event Poster

Created by Pavel Bieliaiev | https://dribbble.com/shots/14497402-Natural-language-processing-event-poster

A poster with all of its elements should be the key feature to consider. Even though most of the elements are part of the design, designing an event poster is more than just that. You need to remember that the item will be the first thing that people see about the occasion. It is also considered as the marketing subject that helps reach your audience. 

So, what makes it so different from design in general? When you are going to make an event poster, you need to do it correctly. One of the reasons is due to its goals to entice and excite the audience about the event. So, every element should work together in the same context to make it work. How to do it? Check out this essential list. 

1. The Goal Or Objective 

Many designers, in general, will put the objective or goal in their design brief. It is because the goal will help you to know which path to work with. In this case, the best way to start is to determine what you want to achieve. Knowing it before starting your project will help you a lot in the long run, especially if you have something important to tell. 

So, what is the goal? Do you want to inform people about an event, ask people to join, sell a ticket, or simply make it a display? More often than not, whatever your goal is will determine the outcome of the project. How can it be? You need to remember that this particular medium is very vast, versatile, and flexible. And so do the elements in it. 

So, having a goal has set your way to work for the project. If you are going to design a poster that focuses on marketing, then you need to generate excitement and promotion. The element and the details will be different if you are trying to make an event poster only for information or general public info. 

Created by MoEA Flyers | https://dribbble.com/shots/9670143-MoEA-Flyers

As an example, you are going to promote a limited event within a small-scale community. In this case, the message you are trying to deliver should remain in the front and clear. You need to put the call-to-action, the context, and the imagery element right in the face. So, people will get the message right after they look at it. The clearer the goal is, the better your work will be. 

The idea of having a goal element for a design is like working with a business. The goal helps you have a clear line and ideas for what to do or avoid. At the same time, it makes you learn how to achieve and deliver the message. Event poster goals also help you have a clear track of what is going on. The point is to make your poster have a reason. 

Remember that the goal element makes you learn how to make people have a reason to read yours. Since it is an event poster, your project might also be part of your content strategy and marketing. Thus, you can analyze the result and prove the effectiveness of your design. As you know the goal, you can continue to design an event poster.  

Created by ALEX ANDERSON | https://dribbble.com/shots/17170495-Posters-2021

2. The Audience 

Talking about the effectiveness and the message delivery is not enough without understanding your audience. The key takeaway is that the different audiences might have different success rates. So, if you are going to make an event poster, sure you know who the target is. Is it a teenager, businessman, or kid? When you know who, you will also have the know-how. 

Try to use that mindset and cooperate with the why question from the goal. The idea is to make a design that hits the target, works for the same reason, and effectively delivers the message. When it comes to the poster element, it can reach many people in different fields. 

It might be a poster for a film, event, product, or a simple logo and announcement. But no matter what and why you make it, your poster will need a clear audience. In the case of event promotion, details, or market, you already have a clear idea about the audience that will serve. Thus, from that idea, you can start to determine the rest of the elements.  

If you wonder how important is the audience element for the design, the answer is a lot. It is not only for posters, but almost any kind of design project will need a clear determination of audience. The best example is a product design, which has a different market and icon in it. It works the same for an event design. 

Created by Anastasia Bashanina | https://www.behance.net/gallery/89105607/TURN-ON-NEON

When you are designing an event poster, the audience will help set the mood, vibe, and also the correct way to reach someone. You need to remember that the creation of your poster depends on what and who you want to reach. The businessman target will demand a more formal and professional touch. But youthful events will look content with fun colors or images. 

As a designer, you got to know the audience. So you got the idea of the grounding point to appeal to such a person. But, if you are going to ask for external help to design a poster, explain your audience to them. The elements that will follow through the audience selection are pretty much setting your poster theme and approach. 

So, the takeaway about the audience is to decide the best elements and ideas. The effect can dramatically affect your design color, imagery, font, theme, and language itself. It is also great to underline different people who can give varying responses to your event poster. One might find it easier or fun to read. Or some might find that the project does not even match the theme. 

In many cases, poster designers forget about the importance of putting yourself inside the customer's shoes. They only focus on designing an event poster based on their look, which might not pick the audience's interest. That kind of mistake will only hinder the goal and the reason for your event poster. So, it is best to start with the objective and widen your design element with the help of the target audience.  

Created by Laura Forbes | https://dribbble.com/shots/10013171-Talks-With

3. The White Space 

How can a white space turn into one of the seven elements in an event poster? The truth is that it is also part of the design that can heavily affect your poster layout. In many cases, white space also has a huge role in making your content and context easier to digest. So, you need to consider it as one of the most important elements in your project. 

If you are designing an event poster, paying attention to your whitespace will help you make a more effective delivery. The best way to make it work is to understand that white space is an element that helps you define the presentation borders. Even though it is called white space, it does not necessarily have white color. 

The idea itself refers to the spacing and the free area on your poster design. Many projects and plans also pay attention to the same element, in which they need to consider white space. The reason comes from the fact that it can help you increase the readability point and also make your design less crowded. 

To make it simple, whitespace is a space between your contents. In your event poster, you might put a lot of design elements—the title, the text, the information, the picture, the logo, and many more. If you don't pay attention to the white space, everything will look messy, full, and hard to understand. That is why your white space also relates to the layout.  

Created by Maksym Horbov | https://www.behance.net/gallery/136992475/Zoo-Poster

In the case of designing an event poster, adding whitespace will create breathing rooms. It is very important, especially if you are going to sell or promote something in the arts. Giving a clear explanation is the key. So, people understand your message. It is also a good option to consider if you are trying to deliver a lot of text or copy elements. 

The whitespace element will make every detail in your copy easier to read or spot. At the same time, the proper spacing, kerning, and positioning will help create flow. As an example, the vertical flow of your poster means the audience needs to read it vertically. If you can make it clear with the design layout and white space, your audience will not jump to conclusions. 

For more details, the best amount of whitespace in a poster design can take up roughly around 30%. It is a big number, considering many event marketing and information can take up around 40% of the poster. The content itself includes your text, title, and other crucial elements. Meanwhile, for the graphic or imagery element, the number is roughly around 30%.

Nailing that design and elements percentage is not easy. You need to pay attention to your copy, font, text, format, and structure. At the same time, the imagery elements are also meant to work with the whitespace. Thus, it is best to consider working with templates or get inspiration from them. The idea will help you build up confidence and understanding about white space. 

Created by Minal Studio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/99142683/Maitha-Brand-Identity

4. The Text And Copy 

If you are talking about the most important element of a poster, especially the one that is meant to promote an event, the answer is your copy or text. As said in the previous point, the content of text and copy can take about 40% of your design. So, it does have a huge role in attaining your goal, focus, and audience understanding about the event. 

So, there are many considerations about your text and copy elements. The first thing that you need to pay attention to is the medium. Are you designing an event poster for print or digital? The point that you need to underline is that the two options have different measurements. It is particularly about the text quality, punchiness, and readability. 

If you are working with a printed poster that is as big as billboards, that means you need to make it stand out from far. The key is your font size, typeface, and layout. But at the same time, the element also includes the importance of a punchline that can engage, grip, pick an interest, and stand out. So, it is not a great place to make a long paragraph about the event. 

Created by Rami Jbara | https://www.behance.net/gallery/127838547/Typography-Posters-Poster-design

It will be different if you are going to design a smaller medium. People might have a longer time to read your event details. Thus, adding more text elements can help them learn more about the event. However, you need to limit the detail and make the event poster feel more engaging. Remember that people might feel discouraged if they see a crowded page. 

So, what should you do? Balance. You need to balance the text, copy, imagery, whitespace, layout, and all of the elements. Your poster needs to look clean as well as easier to understand. You can do it by using the standard font, clear kerning, and readable writing. So, people will learn about your event details and message. 

Another consideration about the text and copy element for your event poster is the font quality. When you are going to design an event poster and post it as digital, you have to ensure that the text is readable. The size, the font, and the punchline are less impactful. The reason goes to the fact that your imagery will not get affected. So, you are bound to use less text. 

Created by Gabriel Sencillo | https://www.behance.net/gallery/91890429/Recaida-Festival-de-cine-adictivo

5. The Format And Structure 

When you are working with event poster design, the format and structure help you emphasize every element and detail. Don't forget your goal or aim. So, you can make the best format according to your work and need. Since you are going to talk about events, the thing that you need to emphasize is the information. 

In this case, your layout element will set the flow and the reader's eyes movement. You can highlight information using images, text, logo, etc. But, to make it easier to read, try to text into sections. Sections help people understand every piece of information, the design focus, and also the details. It also makes the poster easier to read. 

At the same time, the format and structure will force you to show what is the most important detail that your audience wants to know. Designing an event poster mostly focuses on giving essential information about the date, location, or price. The rest of the miscellaneous details are optional or not even needed there.

Created by MIDNIGHT DESIGN | https://www.behance.net/gallery/125919911/TIMFThe-Song-of-Life%20

6. The Imagery

With a 30% ratio in a poster design, imagery elements will help your work stand out in the crowd. Indeed, there are some event marketing that focuses on text to give clear details. But, in posters, you need to entice people's attention and interest toward your message. Thus, adding pictures, images, illustrations, graphics, charts, etc., can help you make an impact. 

The uses are also varying. You can add pictures as the background, the focal highlight, decoration, or emphasize details. No matter what kind of uses or images element you are adding, try to use high-resolution pictures. It is a very crucial matter if you are going to make a print poster design for your event. So, make sure you don't use any blurry images. 

Another point is relevancy with the theme, color, and content. If you are working for a brand event, try to incorporate brand identity. Using the iconic hue and shapes will make a clear identity element in the community. Not only that, but you also need to make the poster even relatable. If you are working with a space theme, then do so. Don't use forests or beaches in it. 

Created by József G Kiss | https://www.behance.net/gallery/88427885/Budapest-Design-Week-2019

7. The Color 

One of the elements that might help you blend all of the information and details is the color. As part of visual design, the role includes evoking mood, reaching the right audience, as a brand identity, or simply adding something catchy. At some point, the element can impact your user's emotions. As an example, green and blue show peace while red leads to excitement. 

In this case, you can check out color and emotion wheels as your references. Be careful in choosing the color because it can also mean something different. If you are trying to introduce forest-related events, use green. If you employ red in it, people might relate your imagery, color, and design elements to the forest fire or so. 

So, when you are trying to design an event poster, try to consider the color in general. The correlation of color, brand, and imagery is significant. Putting the same or related color also helps you convey the real message. It is also a great element to highlight vital information along with text hierarchy and layout. 

Created by Shanti Sparrow Design | https://www.behance.net/gallery/85880717/New-York-Womens-Surf-Film-Festival-Visual-Identity%20

Final Words

When it comes to designing or working with event posters, you gotta put the goal on the front line. The idea is that you want to tell or inform something about the event. Thus, make sure all of the elements are in context with whatever you want to tell. That is why every piece of detail means a lot in the process. Put everything in mind, and your poster will deliver it.