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How to Make a Music Event Poster

To advertise your upcoming music event, make a visually striking poster to distribute around town. You will probably want to make the poster larger than a standard 8 1/2 inch-by-11 inch sheet of paper; try 11 inch by 17 inch. You can design your poster on the computer or by hand. Whichever way you design it, make sure it has bold colors, large text, and a simple, compelling design that will catch a person’s eye from afar. See classic examples in the references section below.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer
  • InDesign or other document program
  • Scissors
  • Rubber cement
  • Construction paper
  • Photographs
  • Color copier
  • Large-format printer
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Instructions

  1. Design a Poster Using the Computer

    • 1

      You can use PhotoShop, InDesign, Paint, or even Microsoft Word to design a document with a combination of words and images. A poster designed on the computer might look more professional than one made by hand.

    • 2

      Experiment with bright, bold colors in a variety of combinations. Try using a bolder color around the border, and a lighter color underneath the text so that it remains clearly legible.

    • 3

      Make sure the most important information—what the event is, where and when—appears in the largest font size. Include further details below in a smaller font.

    • 4

      Add a photograph of the musician or musical group below the text. Don't rule out a black-and-white photograph; in some cases, this choice might look better.

    • 5

      To print your poster on larger paper, you will need to take it to a store like Kinko's. You can e-mail the document to yourself to open again later, or you can save it on a CD or flash drive to bring with you. Go to Kinko’s or another copy shop to print as many copies as you need.

    Design a Poster by Hand

    • 6

      A handmade poster might not look as professional as one made on the computer, but it might be more appropriate for certain music events. Depending on how you design it, a handmade, collage or handwritten poster can add an intimate, edgy or even avant-garde feeling to the event.

    • 7

      Buy some brightly colored card stock or construction paper to cut out and arrange in a visually striking design. Make sure not to put the most important text on top of a color that will make it difficult to read.

    • 8

      Print out text from the computer or hand-write it depending on the look you want.

    • 9

      Be creative--bring in scraps of newspaper or other elements to add to the poster, or include a collage of photographs of the band or music group.

    • 10

      Take the finished poster to Kinko’s or another copy center to make as many color copies as you need.

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