Image Posters - A Must Read Guide

Hardly can a person glance through posts in news articles, social media posts and even the streets without getting into contact with a poster. What at all could this inevitable phenomenon mean? It just simply means that information dissemination in this age of popularized internet has grown and keeps on growing. This could also mean that the internet user who searches for information and at the same time also sends out messages is well educated on the elements of a message.

A Poster

A poster is a piece of paper with written or printed texts, images, texts and images that are pasted on walls, notice boards, trees, etc to give out information to a target group of people. On the other hand, a poster can be digital and in this case, it is called a flyer.

Nevertheless, there are numerous instances of interchangeable use of the words 'Poster and flyer' but do well to get it clear that both are similar but the most distinguishing difference is that from the word 'post', a 'poster' has to be posted to be called so and a flyer sends out information quicker than a poster having known that it is digital hence it flies messages quicker. Posters have some features that categorize them into types which are: 

Text-only posters, Image only posters, Text and image posters.

They are just what the words suggest to you. To be looked at extensively are the image posters.

The Image Poster

An image poster has an image or images as the main communication element and these images are at times complemented with a suitable text. Image posters are very essential in delivering information effectively and also with advancements in the ability of smartphones to capture images, there is a lot of them flooding social media and the internet every single day.

What caption comes to mind when looking at this image? Try to write something down.

What about image posters?

Imagine a documentary without an image poster as the cover image or a very important book without anything of this sort? It will be hard to get people to interact with this documentary because there isn't anything depicting visually what the content of the documentary entails.

Characteristics of an image poster

• Visually appealing: Every poster's first and foremost aim is to capture and sustain attention. So, knowing the fact that an image can speak more than a thousand words, image posters are characterized by this identity of attractiveness. It is something that is seen in every image poster one can set eyes on.
• Quality image: The quality is to be interpreted that image posters come in high resolutions(PPI) for sharpness and portrayal of detail. Pixelation by all means cannot characterize an image poster considering what they are meant for.
• Relevance: A particular topic informs a digital image creator about what an image poster should look like or represent. It is a major determinant of the effectiveness of an image poster to communicate to the target audience.

Captioning Image Posters

Image posters can be with or without a very suitable text to better send a message. In giving a caption to an image poster, are there considerations to be made before deciding which word (s), length of words, type, or font to use?

1. Purpose: 

Consider the image shown below and suggest a caption you think best fits the image. You'll probably take some time to think about it but immediately after the specific purpose of the image is unraveled, you are better able to give it a befitting caption. Doing something like this is copywriting and it is a skill you need not joke about. Writing catchy and brief texts for images involves a lot more work than what is seen.

An image like this is a cool one for a Science textbook cover. 

2. Setting or mood: 
Some images are types that express some kind of emotions and this also forms part of the determining factors of the caption of an image poster.

3. The message: 
There might be many other reasons or factors but this will be my last express point as this article is concerned. Information transmission now is so vast and it can be so easy to send out an image or visual information that is inappropriate. The message you want to communicate should be the fulcrum to inform a caption or title. Do you remember the last time going through sums of videos on YouTube and clicked that particular one? You probably did because of the cover image and the caption. They had an influence on your choice of preference so be aware that it works.

In summary, image posters are very useful knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words. Communication Designers and anyone who therefore deals with an image of any sort pay close attention to their images out there. The captions given to any digital image being used as an image poster goes through a thorough process of scrutiny by the copywriter to ensure it serves their purpose exactly.