How to design a poster that captivates

Have you ever walked past a poster that stopped you in your tracks? A poster so vibrant, so compelling, that it drew you in and wouldn't let go? That's the power of effective poster design.

Whether promoting an upcoming event, a product, or a cause, an informative poster can be a powerful tool for reaching your target audience. But where do you start?

"There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for."—Milton Glaser

At Linearity, we're passionate about helping our community create posters and other designs that make a difference. In this comprehensive guide, we'll design a stunning poster that grabs attention and leaves a lasting impact.

Ready to unleash your inner creative genius? We'll cover everything from setting your goals and understanding your audience to choosing the right visuals and mastering the art of typography. And, of course, we'll give you plenty of practical tips and tricks for using Linearity Curve, a user-friendly online poster maker. You can also browse our helpful library of poster templates and custom poster options that make creating professional-looking posters easier than ever.

Considerations when designing your poster

Before we dive into the practical tutorial, it's essential to consider some key factors of your poster content that will influence your poster's design:

• Define your purpose: Start by understanding the primary goal of your poster. Are you promoting an event, a product, or a cause? Knowing your purpose will guide your design choices.
• Create a clear message: Your poster should be concise and compelling. Think about the key information you want to communicate and ensure it's easily digestible for viewers.
• Choose the right size and format: Determine the size and format of your poster. Will it be a standard 279.5 x 432mm (11 x 17 inches), a digital poster for social media, or something entirely different? The dimensions you choose will impact your design elements.
• Select a color scheme: Colors play a significant role in poster design. Choose a color scheme that aligns with your brand or the message you want to convey. Consider the psychological impact of colors on your audience.
• Typography matters: Carefully select legible and appropriate fonts for your poster. Use typography to emphasize key information and create a hierarchy.
• Imagery and graphics: Decide on the visuals you'll use, whether high-quality photos, illustrations, or icons. Ensure they complement your message and maintain consistency throughout the poster.

6 steps to design a poster with Linearity Curve

To kick off your poster design, one of the pivotal decisions is selecting the appropriate Artboard size. Poster sizes have evolved, and many of today's standards owe their origins to legendary designers like Saul Bass.

Understanding poster sizes and their significance can help you create a poster that resonates with your audience. Check out the handy table below. 

Poster design also extends beyond physical prints. Consider how your poster will appear in digital formats, such as social media posts, websites, and email campaigns.

• Aspect ratios: Each standard poster size has a specific aspect ratio, which determines its proportions. When designing digitally, ensure your digital canvas or image matches the aspect ratio of your chosen print size. This ensures that your design remains consistent when shared online.
• Resolution: Maintaining a high-resolution design (at least 72dpi) for digital use ensures clarity when viewed on screens. Higher resolution ensures your poster looks crisp and professional when shared digitally.
• Adaptability: Consider how your poster will adapt to different digital platforms. Create versions optimized for social media banners, email headers, and website headers to maintain a cohesive online presence.

Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of designing your poster on Linearity Curve. We’ll be using Curve on a Mac for the step-by-step tutorial below.

Create a new document

Decide whether to start making your poster from scratch for complete creative freedom or use one of Linearity's designer templates as the base of your poster design.

If creating a new poster from scratch, open Linearity Curve and select New Document, then choose your Artboard size template.

If you’re printing on your home printer, select an A4, but A3 is a good template if you intend to work with a print shop. There are larger and smaller options available in the template space as well. 

We’ll set up a digital poster from Linearity’s Templates Hub for this tutorial using this template:

Get this template

It’s already conveniently set up as an A3, the size we want for our poster.

Looking for something different? Our Templates Hub has over 3,000 free design templates, so browse your options. Below are some more Linearity poster templates to inspire you.

Get this template

Get this template

Get this template

Get this template

Add images, icons, or illustrations

For our poster, we’ll be advertising a new vintage fashion store that recently opened. We want to get more customers, so we want to place some posters in neighboring coffee shops and bookstores to get a bit of hype going. 

Because we’re visual thinkers, we’re going to start customizing our template by replacing the images and graphics of the template design. They’re crucial in attracting attention to your poster message.

We did this using the Unsplash Library that’s part of Linearity Curve—a great resource if you don't already have your own images or are looking for something special. 

We searched for ‘vintage fashion’ in the Unsplash library and found tons of great vintage fashion images that we think are striking and will instantly grab the attention of passers-by. Whatever you’re designing, make sure you go as bold and colorful as possible. 

Because the form of the image is so sculptural, we stretched it to the full extent of the page. To transform your image to a new size, activate the Selection Tool in the Toolbar, and select the image. Once the image is highlighted, activate Scale Mode (within the Selection Tool menu), grab any corner handle, and drag it to your preferred size. 

At this point, you could easily remove the background of your image or effortlessly transform it into a rasterized vector illustration using Auto Trace. But for now, we like the warm background of our chosen image and how the template text works with the texture of the background.

Update the text

It’s time to drive home the message, so craft some headline and body copy that captures attention. We started with many lines of copy but simplified things until it was clear and grabbed attention. 

"On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy."—David Ogilvy, a copywriting legend 

Your headline is your first impression, so make it count. Keep it short. Then, add the smaller bits around it. People tend to scan content quickly. You can also use subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make your text easily digestible.

Don't settle for predictable sans-serifs or tired script fonts. Embrace the potential of typography to elevate your poster:

• Playful contrasts: Combine bold and lighter font weights for dynamic energy. 
• Size matters: Use oversized fonts for your headline, letting it shout your message across the room. Then, layer smaller sizes for supporting text, ensuring information hierarchy and readability.
• Color as emphasis: Don't shy away from coloring your fonts if you think your layout needs it. Because the image is so colorful here, we kept it monotone. But you can use a contrasting hue for your headline to make it pop or highlight keywords in secondary colors to guide the reader's eye.

Be bold with your layout and composition

Ditch the predictable script. Forget centered headlines, neat rows of text, and images obediently flanking the sides. What you want is a poster that screams your name. You need to craft a layout that sings, a visual symphony that stuns the eye and lingers in the mind.

If this year’s design trends are anything to go by, it’s time to rip up the rulebook and embrace imbalance. Let tension and visual weight guide the eye on a dynamic journey. Place your headline off-center, let elements bleed off edges, or introduce unexpected angles to challenge viewers' expectations. 

Think beyond flatness. Build a world within your poster, layering elements like transparency, shadows, and cropping to create depth.

White space isn't just the absence of stuff. It's an active participant, guiding the eye and emphasizing key elements. White space lets the viewer's imagination breathe and gives your message room to resonate.

Create visual rhythm. Repeat shapes, lines, or colors throughout your design. Push the boundaries of the canvas. This creates intrigue and encourages engagement with your poster's message.

We’re going for something that feels retro yet minimal. Extend some lines by selecting the rectangle shapes that were part of the original layout and resizing them to connect with the typography (use the left and right arrows on your keyboard if it’s easier to move the lines this way).

Finishing touches: fine-tune your poster design

With your layout singing, it's time to sort out the last few elements. Let’s add some more depth to the layout. Because we have a graphic image and a clean background, we can bring parts of it to the foreground and let our graphic elements intersect with the image. 

Let’s start by duplicating the image layer. You can do this by selecting the image clicking on Edit in the top menu, and then selecting Duplicate and Repeat. Or, save yourself a bit of time using the Command + D keyboard shortcut.

Select the new layer in your Layers Tab and navigate to the Style Tab on the right-hand side of your screen. Scroll down and click on Remove Background under the Image dropdown menu. Linearity Curve will automatically remove the background within seconds, and you’ll have a ‘cutout’ of the main element in your image to shift around.

Move it up in the Layers Tab by selecting the (now background-less) image layer and dragging it above the white shape layer. This makes the image appear stepping over the line, bringing some depth to the layout. 

We also needed something that speaks more visually to the brand, so we added a graphic symbol next to the text logo. You can take a standard graphic from the Iconator library, where you’ll find thousands of free vector images for your projects. 

Export and share

Once you're happy with the design and content of your poster, download it for print or share it digitally. 

To save your design for printing, choose a suitable file format like .pdf or .jpeg. For a digital, web-friendly version, we recommend saving it in .png, .svg, or .jpeg.

To do this, click on the File name menu item and open the Export dropdown menu.

Select your file format and click Export.

If you're printing, choose a professional printer and high-quality poster paper, or print your posters at home with a large enough printer.

Roll a few posters up, pop them in your satchel, and hit the streets to spread the buzz. Make sure you also share your digital posters via email lists, community forums, and social media. Don’t forget to tag us and use our hashtag #linearitycommunity so we can make it a viral sensation together. 

Put your best foot forward

Great job, you just made your first poster with Linearity Curve. But we want you to know it's just the start, so keep exploring and experimenting with poster design. Don't be afraid to push the boundaries of what a poster can be.

With Linearity Curve as your tool and your creativity as your guide, you can design posters to get everyone talking.

Please share your designs with us—we can't wait to see what you come up with.

Frequently asked questions