Introduction: Advertisement Poster (Hierarchy of Information)
An advertisement poster is a print promotional technique used by different companies and businesses. Elements on a poster can include a visual design, images, colors, and important information. Posters provide information intended to promote brand awareness or call attention to a specific product, company, or event. How a designer lays out elements on the poster is crucial in catching the attention of the individual who sees the poster.
For this tutorial, it will go over basic principles of design and the importance of hierarchy of information in an advertisement poster. In this step by step, I will be using Adobe InDesign to create the poster and guide ways for you to create a visually communicative and effective poster. The example poster for this tutorial will be an advertisement for a music event.
This tutorial is intended to be a lesson for a high school level (9th-12th) digital media class but can also be used for adults interested in design and are looking to create an effective advertisement poster.
By the end of lesson, individuals will be able to:
- Define what hierarchy of information is.
- Understand why hierarchy of information is important on an advertisement poster
- Understand the interface of Adobe InDesign and tools used to create a poster
- Create an export a file within InDesign
- Reflect and apply the skills and knowledge when creating and designing an advertisement poster in the future
Standards
#7 - Design in Technology and Engineering Education: Design is a fundamental human activity in which its purposeful, open-ended, creative, and iterative. Individuals during this activity can think of multiple and creative solutions in which they can create a poster that can that is effective in attracting the viewer while also following principles and elements of design.
#8 - Applying, Maintaining and Assessing Technological Products and Systems: Individuals are better equipped to learn bout the use of products and systems than those that lack prior experience. The tutorial will give users the knowledge and experiences with using the program Adobe InDesign and how this software can be applied in creating products and systems.
Practices
TEP-2 Creativity: Doing this activity, individuals will be able to think of innovative ways to design and redesign an original poster to there own liking and their own way/style.
TEP-3 Making and Doing: This is hands on activity in which individuals will be evaluating, designing, and creating an end product that is applicable in a real life situation.
TEP-4 Critical Thinking: This project is centered on open/ill-defined problems in which there are many alternative solutions for which one can design a poster while also fulfilling the criteria and constraints.
TEP-7 Communication: Communication is about how one exhibits effective writing, graphic and oral communication abilities. How an individual designs the final product will have an effect on conveying the intended goal of the poster.
TEP-8 Attention to Ethics: Design is interruptive, has principles, and can have both negative and positive meaning. Individuals need to make sure what they are designing follows basic rules and standards that have a positive effect as a result.
Contexts
TEC-5 Information and Communication: Design of a communication is influenced by the intended audience, the medium used for communication, and the nature of message. Technologies used for this activity involves graphic design in which students will be creating a production with the intention of communicating with purpose of effective advertising.
Supplies
Step 1: Understanding Important Concepts
Hierarchy of Information
Hierarchy of information is a principle of arranging elements to show the order of importance. Designers will structure visual elements so users can understand information easily. By laying out the elements logically and strategically, it can influence the viewer’s perceptions and guide them to desired actions. An effective hierarchy of information helps to inform, impress, and persuade users. Hierarchy of information can also be interconnected to visual hierarchy as how you design and lay out the information can also have an influence on your intended goal with your final product.
Building Blocks of Visual Hierarchy
- Size – Users notice larger elements more easily.
- Color – Bright colors typically attract more attention than muted ones.
- Contrast – Dramatically contrasted colors are more eye-catching.
- Alignment – Out-of-alignment elements stand out over aligned ones.
- Repetition – Repeating styles can suggest content is related.
- Proximity – Closely placed elements seem related.
- Whitespace – More space around elements draws the eye towards them.
- Texture and Style – Richer textures stand out over flat ones.
Important Rules to Consider When Creating an Advertisement Poster
- Directing Hierarchical Flow: Most individuals will read information from left to right. Have the attention grabber of the poster on the top left of the page with information placed in the bottom right hand block.
- Images: The image on a poster can include things such as icons, shapes, and real life photos. Make sure the image you choose on the poster is reflective of importance. The image you choose should be the focal point of the poster. Having a main image on your poster captures the interest of the viewer leading them to become curious and to take a look, reading the additional information. Make sure the visual does not interrupt the flow of reading.
- Type: Type is a fundamental part of design as it's a particular set of glyphs that share a common design. It’s important to consider its style in the appropriate font, size, and color. With size, order your title, subtitle, and body on the poster by size. The title of the information on the poster should be the next emphasis after the image therefore making it the biggest font size on the poster.
- White Space:White space is not your enemy. Also known as negative space, it refers to any section of a poster or document that lacks elements or is unused around an object. On posters, keep your information concise and avoid needless clutter to achieve the objective of the poster. Having white space puts more emphasis on elements already on the poster and puts focus on where it matters.
- Color: Colors evoke emotions. Bright colors usually draw greater attention than duller hues.
Step 2: Setting Up the Workspace
Now that we understand the basic principles of hierarchy of information, we can start applying it and creating our own advertisement poster. Let's begin by opening InDesign.
Once InDesign is open, go to left and click on Create New. Before we set up our document, we need to put in the Preset Details.
For this tutorial please make sure you have following settings:
- Blank Document Presets: Letter
- Orientation Portrait
- Units: Inches
- Width: 8.5 in
- Height: 11 in
Step 3: Adding Our Image
Now that we set up our document within InDesign, we can start inserting our main image. Free feel to use the sample image or an image of your choice.
Within the program click File on the top right corner of the screen, then select Place.
A window of all your computer files should open. Navigate to where you placed your image>select it>press Open. From there, click on the document and the image should be placed on the file.
With the image placed onto the file, you can start adjusting the size of the image. As I mentioned before, the image is your focal point of the poster and is the first thing the viewer should see. Make the image big enough to where it should take up at least half of the page.
Step 4: Step 4 - Adding Text
Now let’s add our text onto our advertisement poster. As we mentioned before the type included should be title, subtitle, and body and the size of the fonts should be from largest to smallest.
Click on the Type Tool located on the left side of the program and type up the necessary information. In the context of this concert poster, it should include the artist’s name (title), the name of the concert (subtitle), and any additional information regarding the concert such as the time and location (body).
Once the information is typed up, we can begin adding adjustments such as the font type and size. Highlight the specific text and within the Properties Panel on the right side of the page, options will appear to change the text.
Under the section Character and Paragraph panel, change the options of the font, text, and alignment. Free feel to choose any font or size of your own preference.
Here were the following fonts I included to the text:
- Bangla MN Bold
- Facundo Extralight
- Facundo Semibold
Step 5: Placing Text
With the font and size selected, we can start laying out where to place the text on the poster. Remember, individuals read left to right and your title should be the attention grabber. Place your title onto the top most part of the page followed by your subtitle, and any additional body information.
Step 6: Adding Color
To make the poster pop out more, we’re now going to insert color. For this advertisement poster, I’m going to add a background color. Select the Rectangle Tool on the tools panel and draw a rectangle the size of the document.
Once drawn, navigate to the Properties panel and under Appearance, select the Fill, and click the new swatch button. Double click on the new swatch and adjust the colors to your own preference. Remember, bright colors can help draw attention to your poster.
Here were the CYMK settings I placed for my color background:
- C - 0
- M - 23
- Y - 10
- K - 0
Once you select your color swatch, click on the box you previous created and select the swatch you created and the color should appear.
If you noticed, the box is on top of the document and covers all of the text and images. To move it to the back, right click on the colored box>select Arrange>then select Send to Back.
To make the poster pop out more, I’m also going to include a border around it. Click on the box once again and under the Appearance panel, select the Stroke and set the color swatch to white and the size to 23pts.
Step 7: Export
Once you believe your poster has everything needed, you’re ready to export! For this advertisement poster, I’m going to export it as a PDF file.
Go to File>Export>type up your file name next to Save As>click on Adobe PDF (Print) for Format, then click Save.
After clicking Save, a window should pop up asking for additional settings. There is no need to make any modifications to the settings so you can click Export.
And there you have it! You have officially created an advertisement poster that’s laid out effectively to communicate your intended message/goal with the viewer.
Step 8: Reflect
After completing your poster, take time to reflect on how it looks in the end and decide whether it's worth the time to make any iterations. Ask yourself these following questions:
- Is there a directional tendency to your attention grabbing element?
- Do the elements on the poster relate to the context of the poster?
- Does my poster effectively communicate the information I’m trying to convey?
Congrats! Your advertisement poster is finished! With this tutorial, I hope it gives you background information on the idea of hierarchy of information/visual hierarchy and how one lays out elements on a poster can have an effect on the viewer. Keep in mind that there're many ways to design a poster while also following design principles and the hierarchy of information. That is where creativity comes to play as design gives individuals to be artistic and creative in what they make. There are ways in which we communicate our ideas and how we execute them can have an impact on the people who experience them.
Good luck!!!!
