Poster, Banner, Postal Stamp Design

This week I got a little late with the update. It's poster design time. In a nutshell, I found that an an effective poster should be …

                        ·         Aesthetic – It should get attention so the message is delivered.

·         Focused – It should focus on a single message.

·         Ordered – The sequence should be well-ordered and obvious.

Lets study a few posters. The following poster has a boy and a girl sitting in a bench. For obvious reasons it portrays a love story. The tagline further clarifies that. Apart from the persons, the environment has been sketched. The typography of the names of the actors on top agrees with the environment. As the name has the word summer in it, the sun is bright and highlighted (prop). 

The following poster also has a boy and a girl in it. It is also a love story. The marching soldiers on top says that it's a love story in times of war. In spite of the reference to war, one knows that it's not a war story. The sepia tint gives a feel that it's a period drama.

The following poster also is in sepia. The sword and the shield (along with the expression) gives the feel of warfare and violence. The presence of only one man in the poster gives the hint that it's a biopic (but that is not always necessary). 

The use of props can always give indications of the theme. The following poster consists of a pair of Gandhi specs. It may denote that it's about Gandhi, or his principles. Or it may denote nonviolence. But there is no image of Gandhi in the poster. A walking stick may not always denote Gandhi. (That represents usually an old person.)

But if we add some blood, the whole idea changes. It depicts violence on innocence. Or it may denote the assassination of Gandhi. In the same way, a gun denotes violence and a flower denotes love.

The typography of a poster is also important. Period films have a different type design, romantic films have other types, war drama, sci-fi and historical films have their own. Here are some examples.

  

 

 

 

A Bug’s Life is a great movie. Come to think of it, the poster maybe designed is various ways (not necessarily does it have to be reminiscent to the story). Few bugs dining in a table where sandwiches are made of leaves, twigs etc maybe one way to look at it. Grandpa bug telling a story to a little one maybe another example. Two cockroaches/rats wearing aprons dressed as chefs cooking up something is another funny way. The name of the movie maybe written with melting cheese/butter.

Initially it's a better practice to design based on quantitative ideas, rather than being qualitative (for aspiring designers). Showcasing of designing/sketching skills is important in the beginning. Minimalistic design with empty spaces can be designed after one has established himself.

Poster are not necessarily made only for movies. They can relate to other things also. When designing posters it's always better to avoid clichés. When designing a poster for climate change/global warming one usually goes for the earth. It's not necessary to design a poster keeping earth in the main focus. The effects can also be highlighted. In fact the posters can also be many funny sometimes. A middle aged man riding a scooter with a huge A.C. as his backpack maybe be one way to represent global warming. Polar bears playing carom, an indoor game (rather than football, an outdoor game) as the snow has melted maybe another humorous way to depict it. Sun sucking energy out of playing children with a straw attached can be another way to look at it. the main aim is to make impact. The best way to attract attention is to try something new which hasn’t been done. Being unique.

The difference between a poster and a banner is in it's size and information. Posters are mainly to create hype. Banner also serves the same purpose, but it is also an invitation. Banners are mainly for events (e.g. rock shows), whereas posters are for movies, awareness etc. A banner is spread along it's length and consists date and other information about an event.

Postage stamps are generally 1”, 2”, 2 ½” in size. They can be square or rectangle. They are usually made to remember events, such as Independence day, someone’s birthday etc. Stamps never portray negativity, and they usually don't have anything written over them. Only an image portrays what they want to showcase.

 

 

 Few topics of poster design are give below:

i.                    Walking is good for health

ii.                  Stop child labour

iii.                Anti corruption

iv.                 Save environment

v.                   Educating voters

vi.                 Corruption

vii.               Right to education

viii.             Climate change

ix.                 Traffic signals

x.                   Technology growth

xi.                 Imagine yourself to be a pet shop owner selling elephants. Design a poster to advertise your shop.

Postal Stamp design topics:

i.                    Kill terrorism

ii.                  Nuclear power

iii.                Chandrayaan I mission

iv.                 Education is important

v.                   M. F. Hussein

vi.                 Common Wealth games

vii.               Information technology

viii.             Delhi Metro

ix.                 World Environment day

x.                   Mother’s Day

xi.                 World Health Day

xii.               Father’s Day

xiii.             Save girl child

xiv.              Teacher’s Day

xv.                Save Wild Life

xvi.              Eradication of child labour.

xvii.            Victory of Indian Army in 1971

Banner/Hoarding Design:

i.                    Banner/ Hoarding inviting general public to a rock show in your school/college

ii.                  Banner/ Hoarding creating awareness among general public doe Pulse polio.