How to make a poster: composition, fonts and colors

Step 1

One main message

People see posters in passing: on a wall, at a bus stop, in a feed. Decide what someone should understand in a few seconds, and sort all the text into levels:

• •main: the event name or key phrase, seen first;
• •second: an image or subheading that explains the main message;
• •details: date, time, place, price or registration;
• •action: what to do next, such as a link, a QR code or a contact.

💡 If you can cross something out without losing meaning, cross it out. The less text on a poster, the more likely it gets read.

Step 2

Format and size

The format shapes everything else, so choose it before you start. For print, common formats are the A series of the ISO 216 standard: A3 is 297 × 420 mm, A2 is 420 × 594 mm. Each next format is half the size of the previous one with the same proportions. For social media or screens, work in pixels in the proportions of the specific platform.

• •think about the distance the poster will be read from: it sets the size of the main text;
• •build the layout in its final proportions from the start: turning a landscape poster into a portrait one takes a long time;
• •if you need print and social media, make two separate versions rather than one for everything.

Step 3

Composition

Visual hierarchy is the order in which the eye notices elements. It comes from size, contrast and grouping. Nielsen Norman Group recommends sticking to three sizes (small, medium and large) and making no more than two elements large. Other composition rules for posters:

• •group related things: date, time and place are one block, not three scattered lines;
• •align elements to a few shared lines or to a grid;
• •leave empty space around the main element: it works as a frame;
• •keep important text away from the edges so it isn't trimmed in print.

💡 Squint at the poster: details disappear and only the hierarchy remains. If the main element doesn't stand out, make it bigger or make everything else smaller.

Step 4

Fonts

A poster is typography first. Take one expressive font for the headline and one simple font for the details, both with Cyrillic. The headline can be unusual, but the details (date, address, link) must be effortless to read.

• •separate text levels by size and weight, not by new fonts;
• •reduce line spacing for large headlines and increase it for small text;
• •don't stretch or squash letters by hand;
• •print the layout at a reduced scale or step a few paces back from the screen to see what reads from a distance.

Step 5

Color and print preparation

Limit the palette: background, text color and one or two accents. Check contrast: the WCAG accessibility standard (level AA) requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Remember that colors on screen and on paper differ, so ask for a test print for an important run. Before printing:

• •ask the print shop for the format, bleed size and color profile they accept;
• •extend the background and images into the bleed so no white strips remain after trimming;
• •export a print PDF: in Canva, for example, PDF Print is 300 dpi with bleed and crop marks, and the CMYK profile isn't available on the free plan;
• •check that images have enough resolution and don't blur at full size.

💡 Show the poster in the community before printing and ask what people noticed first and whether they found the date and place. A reprint costs more than feedback.