Poster design: tips and checklist

Poster design checklist

The old adage that a good poster was one you could sketch on the back of your business card still holds true today: the key to a high-impact poster is reduction. And reduction calls for order, prioritisation of ideas and, of course, a strong, creative central theme.
 
50% of the effectiveness of a poster campaign is down to the creative design. And the influence of creative design is greater in out-of-home advertising than in any other medium.¹
 
 

• Message and headline: must get across in 1–2 seconds, be catchy and easy to grasp
• Few words: maximum of ten
• Font size should make text readable up to ten metres
• High contrast dark on light and complementary colours are easiest to take in
• Logo must be clearly recognizable.
• The use of luminous, fluorescent and gold, silver or other metallic inks is prohibited in Switzerland by Federal byelaw.
• There are regulations banning roadside advertising that could affect traffic safety, for example posters containing signals or directional elements.
• Elements essential to the image, such as texts, should be placed at least 6 cm – in the case of F12 and F24 – and 4 cm – in the case of F4 and F200 formats – from the edge at the top, bottom and sides (this is mandatory in the case of posters placed in light boxes).