If you’re running a small business or just starting out, it’s possible that you can’t shell out for a graphic designer right now. Certainly, we’d always advocate for bringing in the pros, but on occasion, it’s just not practical. However, this doesn’t mean your branding has to suffer. By sticking to a few simple rules, you can make large-format designs that stand out. Without further ado, here are our top three tips for eye-catching poster design and poster printing.

1. Strike the balance

An essential design skill is balancing composition. When approaching your design, think about how the viewer’s eye will move across the image. This is challenging when there’s lettering involved as well, but often, using a grid to balance image with text is a step in the right direction. That way, you can think about how to guide the viewer’s eye across the information in a logical way.

2. Relate theme and composition

However, composition isn’t an exact science. To devise the best possible layout for your design, you need to think about how the layout relates to the theme. Ask yourself what you want the focal point of your design to be: should it be an image of the product? A date? Or perhaps a price or special offer? Once you’ve identified this key information, you can build out from there.

3. Be consistent

This final tip is really important if you’re trying to build a brand for your small business. Remember that posters don’t exist as separate, independent objects, even if they’re focussing on a particular promotion. Your poster design will be part of your wider suite of marketing materials, so even if you want it to stand out, make sure it’s consistent with the rest of your branding. Equally, if you’re designing a series of posters, make sure there’s a design concept that ties everything together.

Posters that pack a punch

In a time when design online is taking centre stage, quality print media can take a back seat. However, print remains powerful. Beautiful poster campaign remains an effective way to promote your business, product or event. Remember design is fun – and it doesn’t have to be difficult.

With these three pillars, you can start creating beautiful print for your company all by yourself. To help you get started, we’ve put together a selection of poster design templates.