We’ve talked about the images you want to use when printing your posters, but that’s only 1/3 of the equation for success. Images can’t do it alone. You need your font and background colors to keep the energy moving and slide your viewer’s eyes where you need them to go.
Bright Colors Get It Done
Imagine you have the most important information in the world printed on a piece of paper, but it’s pale yellow on white and you’re going to go blind before you finish reading it. Are you going to spend hours trying to find a way around it, or are you going to go for an alternate source?
Whatever need you’re trying to meet, there’s somebody else out there willing and able to give them the exact same thing. So if they can’t tell what you’re trying to tell them within 3 seconds of seeing what you’re printing on your poster, they’re not going to stick around to try and figure it out. They’re going to move on, and your message is going to go unheard.
All children are attracted to bright colors. That’s not a habit we ever outgrow. Posters with bright colors are going to catch our eye faster than ones that blend into the background. Reds, yellows, blues, greens, magenta/fuchsia and purples are great choices, since they tend to “Pop” against solid color walls and inspire passers-by to stop and take a peek.
Contrast/Black and White
Some of the most effective posters I’ve ever seen are ones that incorporate both black and white and color into their imaging. The human eye is naturally drawn to anything that our brain believes to be out of place; for example, a fish in the sky or a plane on the water. Or color in a black and white picture. The blend of the two will attract eyes faster than a candy shop attracts children. Once you’ve got their attention the hard part’s done. You’ve already got your foot in the door to get them to listen to what you have to say.