Poster design that reads from across the room.

Part one is the brief, and the most useful question in it is where the poster will hang. Poster design starts from the viewing distance: a window poster read from the pavement needs a headline several times bigger than a notice-board poster read at arm’s length. We also agree the one thing the poster must make someone do (attend, buy, visit, scan) and the 3 facts it must carry, usually what, when and where. Everything else goes on the website the QR code points to.

Part two is the hierarchy. A good poster is read in three steps: the image or headline stops people, the subline tells them what it is, and the details tell them when and where. We design one clear focal point, then size every element so it’s read in that order. Logos, sponsors and small print sit at the bottom at a size that can be read by someone who has already stopped.

Part three is the size and the paper. Most printers work to ISO 216 paper sizes (A4, A3, A2, A1 and so on) or to their local sizes, such as US tabloid and 18 x 24 inches, and every A size has the same proportions, so a well-built A3 poster scales cleanly to A1. We set up the file at the final size, with bleed and a safe margin from your printer’s spec, usually 3 mm of bleed on each edge, and we keep text well inside the trim.

Part four is colour and images. Screens show colour in RGB; printers print in CMYK or extra spot inks, and some bright screen colours can’t be printed. We convert to the colour profile your printer works to, often one based on ISO 12647-2 for offset printing, and check that photos have enough resolution at the printed size. A photo that looks sharp on a phone can print soft at A1.

Part five is the print file. You get a print PDF, usually PDF/X-4, the format ISO 15930-7 defines for complete print-ready files: fonts embedded, colours defined and bleed included, as Adobe’s PDF/X guide describes. We design; you print. We deliver print-ready files made to your printer’s specification (size, bleed, colour profile and file format), and you place the print order with the printer you choose, so you see the printer’s price and proof directly. If the printer asks for a different format, we export to it.

Readability is part of print poster design too. Text meets W3C’s contrast guidance (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text), a useful minimum for posters seen in poor light, and nothing that must be read sits over a busy part of the photo. QR codes are tested at the printed size and placed where a phone can reach them.

Where AI helps: exploring background art, extending photos to a new size and making seasonal variants. Where it doesn’t: the words. Every headline, date, price and QR code is set by a person as real type and checked before the file goes to print. You get the editable master, so the next poster in the series starts from it. Client work is shown anonymously: see real client results on our results page.