13 Types of Posters & How to Use Them

There’s no doubt that posters will most definitely catch your attention when used the right way. 

Thanks to snazzy one-liners, the audience will have no option but to think about the content of the poster much after they have viewed them. You can find them almost everywhere: be it on the walls of subways, metro stations, or simply as an email attachment. 

The best thing about posters is that with time they are becoming more versatile in terms of their design and content. But keep in mind that the primary aim is to be convincing about what they are communicating. 

In this guide, we will walk you through all the different kinds of posters and how to make the most of them. 

So, without any more delay, let’s dive right in!

Types Of Posters

1. Subject Poster

Is there a new musical starting at the local opera this weekend? Then you are most likely to see a subject poster on their walls. If you are wondering why it is called a subject poster, let us break it down for you. 

Subject posters are primarily based on a particular theme and have all the information regarding a specific subject. These posters are printed by art galleries, music houses, and publishing houses too. 

They have all the requisite information about the launch of a particular movie, book, or performance. It can even be a poster that talks about a fair organized a long time ago. 

Over time, they have started to gain a lot of value and have become collectibles. Who would not want a tour poster of the Beatles from back in the 60s decorating their living room wall? 

2. Movie Posters

Putting up movie posters on walls is not just a favorite among teenagers in college dorms. When framed correctly, movie posters can very well become a part of high aesthetics. Movie buffs especially love these as the posters speak a lot about their taste in films. 

Most of the classic movie posters that you will come across are pretty bright in color. This was how filmmakers would draw in their audience by grabbing their attention. But with the rise of digital media, this need has significantly diminished, and there is a transformation in the movie posters that we see today. 

That said, it is true that movie posters have survived the test of time and continue to be a favorite of many. 

3. Motivational Posters

Affirmation or self-help posters have gained popularity in recent years. These posters are made with the significant purpose of inspiring people. Sometimes, there are motivational quotes, while at other times there are catchy phrases or proverbs on them. 

The primary focus of these types of posters remains on typography. Mostly, there is an inspirational picture with a text overlay that will surely pull on your heartstrings. 

These posters aim to arouse positive feelings in their viewers. Maybe for someone who is trying to quit smoking, a poster which tells them about the ills of smoking can be quite encouraging. 

Moreover, people generally prefer putting motivational posters in their workspace. If you do the same, you are likely to feel encouraged and start a day with a lot of positivity. 

4. Corporate Posters

It is not very difficult to understand that brands would primarily use corporate posters for advertisement purposes. They are designed in a way that the focus is not just on a single product or service but also on the brand or the corporation providing it. 

When the brands design these posters, they focus on putting across the company values and maintaining some sort of uniformity. As people view the poster, they should know which brand it represents. Some corporations might even think of advertising their new launches on these posters. 

5. Event Posters

These posters are pretty essential in communicating the desired information. It is pretty self-explanatory that they intend to convey information about a particular event that is going to take place. 

Other than that, it is important that the call to action in these posters is pretty clear and to the point. It is mostly about an upcoming event, and the font style should be used in a manner that is instantly understandable to the audience. All the necessary information about the event needs to be highlighted in a way that is legible to all who are reading it. 

Long story short, it can get the target audience pretty excited about the event that is going to take place. But keep in mind that while designing it, you must keep all the elements in a manner that matches the theme of the event. 

The major point of making event posters is getting people excited so that they attend the event in question. 

6. Digital Posters

Digitization of art is on the rise, and we could not be happier with the results! Be it marketing or home decoration; it has extended its wings in every sector possible. 

Unlike traditional posters, digital versions can be moving images too; ones that can be projected on a screen. However, for that, you would need a projector or LED screen. 

But you need to keep in mind that when you project the images, there is a chance that the colors might appear different. So, you need to be careful while designing it. 

Apart from that, there’s a lot of artists who are shifting their medium of art and venturing into digital art. This way, it is easier to experiment with a variety of art forms without incurring hefty expenses.

And as consumers, one can even buy digital prints today. You can also enlarge it, diminish the size, or get it framed just the way you like.

7. Travel Posters

Are you a fan of collecting fridge magnets from every place that you travel to? Then the chances are that you will like trying out travel posters too. 

However, it just does not necessarily need to be about the places that you have traveled to. If there’s a destination on your bucket list, you can think of putting a picture of that place in the bedroom. You would see similar travel posters in airports encouraging the people to visit certain tourist destinations. 

If you are planning to use one for home decoration purposes, we would say that you are on the right track. They bring a special mix of timelessness and modernist decoration style to your home. You can also find some posters that add a touch of humor to the destination mentioned on the posters. 

And every time you have a guest at home, these posters can inspire the same wanderlust in them. Otherwise, they can become a good conversation starter at the parties that you arrange. There’s no doubt that they can add a little bit of fun and life to your room by depicting a place where you would want to be. 

8. Educational Posters 

Are you part of an educational institution and want to highlight your research work? Educational posters can then come to your rescue. These posters can help people understand the kind of research you are conducting and allow you to acquire grants and fellowships. 

However, you need to keep in mind that these posters need to be more informative than being focused on just the aesthetics. If you want, you can give a glimpse of an entire project in these posters so that people can have a better understanding. 

9. Advertising Posters

These are the most common types of posters that one sees around. Brands use this either when they are launching themselves in a new city or trying to bring a new product to the market. 

The primary aim of these posters is to be hard-hitting and awaken such emotions in their viewers that they notice the product advertised. Sometimes, it is used to improve the brand image that goes out to the audience, or it is used to propel people to buy the product. 

What makes them stand out among other posters is the fact that they are pretty precise and to the point. When making an advertising poster, one should never lose sight of the fact that it is goal-driven. After seeing it, people must be able to feel something. 

The ones that are done really well impress their viewers with a ‘wow-factor’ that stays long after viewing the advertisement. For example, if an ad is amusing, it is likely to stay with you for a long time. 

10. Political Posters

In modern industrial society, political posters are of the utmost importance, and there’s no chance that you haven’t seen one. Many people also call them propaganda posters as they talk about the goods and the ideologies of a particular political party. 

They were first used during the war in the 19th century to spread awareness about the happenings and the political agendas. Now the war may be over, but political parties still make use of posters to put across their plans and goals to the people. 

The mass also benefits considerably from these posters as they get informed about who is contesting for the election and what they aim to do. They play a significant role in letting the general population know that they should vote and not let their electoral power go to waste. 

Sometimes, these posters also carry the advertisements of the corporations or businesses sponsoring the parties. 

11. Infomercial Posters

These posters are slightly different from advertisement posters in the way they put across the information. Unlike advertisement posters, they are filled with intelligent catchphrases, and the call to action is a little less immediate. 

If you take a walk around the city, you are likely to see thousands of infomercial posters. These posters mainly focus on a product or service and tell the viewers why investing in them would be a good idea. When you read through the entire poster, you will find the USP of the product mentioned too. 

However, in these types of posters, there’s a special addition. They do not leave their audience to do the work of finding the product all by themselves. Instead, they hold detailed information about where one would be able to find the product. So, in case you want the item or the service offered, you’ll know where to go!

12. Research Posters

If you think research posters are the same as educational posters, let us warn you that it is not the case. It is mostly used but not restricted to the academic communities. Unlike educational posters that give you a glimpse of what a seminar or conference is going to be about, research posters talk mainly about the findings. 

In order to put the finding across to the viewers, these posters are heavy with texts and data. So, once you take a look at these posters, you can access the graphs and data sets to get a clear understanding of the research findings. 

Even business research projects make use of posters like this. When making one, you need to keep in mind that it is normal to use subject-specific jargon in these posters as they are meant for an informed audience. It is okay to assume that the audience will have some pre-existing knowledge about the topic. 

They are also a good way for think tanks and other research bodies to publish the data about their research findings. And that helps the general public become aware of the recent happenings. 

13. Fashion Posters

You are most likely to find them on billboards or on the subways while commuting for work. Fashion posters do not have too many elements and are mainly to the point. You will mostly find the model or the product pictured in a way that your sole focus stays on them. 

And to make it easily identifiable, the name of the brand or the designer will be printed on it in clear fonts. Sometimes, you may also find a suitably catchy tagline to go with the picture. Brands mostly use these posters to stay relevant among their customers and keep increasing their sales base. 

Final Words

By now, we are sure that you know a lot more about posters than you did before reading this guide. 

We hope that you had a great time learning about the different kinds of posters and their uses. It must be clear to you that all of them are pretty unique and serve different purposes. 

There’s no doubt that it is a great way to communicate and to put emotion or words across. Be it to encourage the viewers to lead a better life or inform them about the current socio-political happenings, a poster is mightier than a sword. If you have any suggestions, we would love it if you shared them with us in the comments section below. 

Until next time, fare thee well!