Posters

The Character and Function of the Poster

In my graphic design class we began to analyze what makes a poster a poster, we started by reading an article about posters and what makes a good poster. The first part of the article was called "The Character and Function of the Poster", it was about what a poster is supposed to do. The first function of the poster is to communicate something about an event, whether it's a political event or a cultural event. The second function of the poster is to get people to notice it by putting it in different location so large groups of people have access to it. The third function of a poster is to also give information in a pleasing way, so information is included along with vivid graphics. Posters are supposed to also convey an emotion that can range from sadness to happiness.

The Laws of Poster Designing

The second half of the article was titled "The Laws of Poster Designing", this half of the article was about how to design a striking poster. The article gave points about what makes a poster stand out from all the others in the same area, the posters need to be striking and be able to get information across in a clear and concise manner, good posters need a balance of color, rhythm, contrast, form and many more to stand out to people and catch their eye. The next thing that good posters have is the general demands of poster-designing, that includes a clear and readable poster, an interesting poster, and a memorable poster. Another thing that is essential to creating a good poster is that it needs to follow lettering in poster-designing. Lettering in poster-design is when all the font used flows and is connected including the size, color, placement, and making sure it is still legible and understandable at a distance. Not only does the font have to connect but the information and graphics also need to connect and have a good balance. Lettering isn't the only thing needed to succeed in creating a stunning poster but a balance between shapes, colors, and graphics need to also be applied to the designing process. The point of the poster should be recognized easily and the colors and shapes need to have a general connection and need to create a pleasing balance. Hierarchy needs to also be applied to making a poster, the information needs to be placed accordingly to importance so the audience can comprehend it quickly. Different placements of shapes can produce a variety of effects, including a more elegant feel, a lighter feel, a more static feel and many more. The feel of the poster comes from the placement and use of shapes. Along with shapes and lettering the color of the poster also makes a difference in the overall feel of the poster. Color can symbolize different things including emotions, color also creates rhythm throughout the poster. 

Importance 

As I read the article I learned about the creation of a good poster and what was included in making it stand out. One thing I learned was about the laws of poster-designing and how by incorporating the rules about shape, color, and lettering that changes the feel of the poster and can make the poster stand out to the people looking at it. The next important thing I learned was the purpose of the poster, everyone knows the basics of a poster but after reading the beginning of the article it makes the function of the poster clear. A poster is supposed to catch the readers eye and make sure the reader can understand the information. The last major thing that I learned was the facts about lettering and how it needs to be balanced and the fonts used need to connect and have a balance with the size and where they are placed. 

My Favorites

My favorite part of the article was when it was taking about the laws of poster-design because they had clear sub titles that told you what the paragraph was about and the points made in the paragraph were also very clear and easily understandable. They will be valuable in the future because when I need to design a poster I now know how to make it eye catching and easy to understand. Overall I enjoyed the information the article had and how it was a easy to read and comprehend writing.