Campus Flyer

The Campus Poster project gives you an opportunity to make a real impact with your design skills. Your mission is to inform and/or influence your audience (to sign up, attend, remind, etc). The subject matter could range from:

A general PSA poster

  • Reminder of strength/value of student diversity

  • Reminding to wear a mask indoors

  • Preventing vaping/smoking

  • Etc

A Team or Club poster

  • Sign up and join

  • Attend an event/meeting

  • Season schedule

  • Etc

As a design challenge, this project can span the full range of design content including:

  • photography

  • typography

  • design elements

  • visual fx

  • textures

  • illustration

Need inspiration? Check out this history of poster design presentation!

Process

1. Communicate

This is a client-based project, so you first need to reach out to your own contacts (friends, moderators, coaches, etc) to see who could use some poster design work. Once identified, he design process beings with a short questionnaire to send to your client. (Again. their answers should provide you with a clear design brief.)

Here are some of the essentials questions to ask your client (note: feel free to added more as needed):

  • How would you describe your organization and/or this event? i.e., who is your intended audience, what is the poster’s primary goal, etc.?

  • What is the typographic content needs to be in the poster (name of event, date, location, etc)?

  • Do you have any existing design assets (logo, photos, etc) you’d like me to incorporate into the poster?

  • Do you have a design solution already in mind? If not, do you have a preferred design layout or style that you can reference with links? Is there any other design direction can you offer?

  • Are you able to print in larger formats (e.g. 11 x17in) or do you need this to be traditional 8.5 x 11in flyer.

  • Are you able to print in full color or do you need this designed in grayscale?

  • What is your timeline for this project? Note: please allow for at least 1 added week for printing.

2. Research

Based on your design brief, visit the following websites and conduct some related searches:

Google (image search*)
Dafont (be sure to use custom type sample field)
Google Fonts (be sure use custom type sample field)
Adobe Fonts (be sure use custom type sample field)
Coolors (come up with a color scheme)
Behance (for layout and style inspiration)
Dribbble (for layout and style inspiration)

As fonts, image, layouts, etc. resonates with you, screen grab them (cmd+opt+4). After you have at least 20 or more assets, drop the collective images into gomoodboard.

Make sure to save an editable link to your moodboard and share it with the client to assure you are on the same page.

*Make sure you do a “large” image search for higher-res photos. If you find something you really like, be sure to download the image not just a thumbnail.

3. Ideate

Based on your moodboard, grab your sketchbook and draw at least 4 possible layout solutions.

From these initial 4 solutions, selected one. Flip the page over and draw 4 new variations based on the initial solution you selected.

From this second round of 4, pick your top solution.

Before you fully commit and jump into Photoshop, be sure to get some feedback from the client - and be open to suggestions. Together, you might come up with an even better solution.

Then hop into Photoshop or Illustrator - make sure you setup the document properly (see: Specs and Standards below).

4. Formalize

Before you turn in this project - be sure to save 3 versions:

1 Source - with all fonts and guides still retained (“last-first-project-v#. psd”).

2 High Res JPG - this is for your client to use for printing.

3 Web - as a .jpg resized to less that 2000px for whichever axis is longer. This is for any online advertising they might need.

 

Specs and
Standards

 

The content of your Campus Poster is dictated by you client by might include:

  • Photography

  • Typography

  • Illustration

  • Design Elements

  • Textures

  • Visual FX

Your Campus Poster should be setup and turned in either of the following specs:

  • 11 x 17 inches - or - 8.5 x 11in - @ 300ppi

  • RGB

  • JPG file format

Issues and
Guidlines

Given the range of potential organizations and events, the solutions for this project can vary widely.

But here are some common issues and helpful guidelines to consider.

 

LESS IS MORE

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Optimize impact by using the minimum amount to type. Clarify importance using visual hierarchy, white space, and composition.

SHOW, DON’T TELL

poster-4-yn.jpg

A picture tells 1000 words. Far better to show a location, event, people, etc. than trying to describe them with words.

CONFIRM COLOR

poster-2-yn.jpg

Confirm with the client if they can print in color before finding/taking photos. Make sure images still work well in grayscale.

MIND THE GAP

poster-3-yn.jpg

Unless the client can print borderless, keep content (especially type) inside the printable “image safe” area of the media.