Rogers - Write of Way | Writing For Your Life |

| Notices and Posters |

We design posters or notices to sell second-hand textbooks, to run for student government, to advertise the tuba band concert. Attend to the COSA formula, and your posters will attract more notice.

You must be very thoughtful about the content of a poster because you have only a few words to reach your audience. Think about the needs of your audience. If you want another student to buy your second-hand business textbooks, you must decide which words will catch the eye of a potential buyer looking at a college bulletin board near the bookstore. Brainstorm and jot some notes so you won't forget any important information: the asking price, your telephone number, the titles of books you are selling.

Once you've identified the information you want to convey, think about how to organize it. The most important information must appear earlier or more prominently in the poster.

You have already begun to think about the appearance of the poster when you consider how to place the text and what size and font to create. These days, most posters are created with word processing or desktop publishing software. A clip art picture may be included because it catches the eye and, if well chosen, can convey—more quickly than words—the heart of the message. By scanning a photograph or other kind of artwork, such as a book cover, you can even print a poster with a graphic of the object for sale.

The article for sale, the name of the political candidate, or the number of families in the yard sale—the largest print in a poster should tell the most important information you want to get across to your intended audience.

Choose your fonts thoughtfully. If a style of print is very popular with the audience you want to reach—you're seeing it a lot in television commercials or in newspapers—you may want to tag along on that popularity by choosing a similar font for your poster.

Word processing programs typically contain a large variety of fonts, but resist the urge to choose a different one for every element of your poster; too many print styles can make your work seem cluttered.

Activity 1: Practice Creating a Poster

Pretend you're part of the Dawlish Avenue whole-street yard-sale committee. You've decided to hold the three-block yard sale on Saturday, June 26. This year the Boy Scouts will raise funds by barbecuing Italian sausage (hot and mild). Volunteers for the Humane Society will be selling refreshments to raise money and demonstrating how to obedience train dogs. There are 24 families selling all kinds of things, including sporting goods, baby furniture, used appliances, crafts, books, clothes, bedding plants, games, and bikes kids have outgrown. Herbie the Clown will be creating balloon art to advertise his party service. You need to create a poster that can be copied and posted in the local stores, church halls, bingo parlours, and schools.

Answer to Activity 1: Practice Creating a Poster

Figure 1: An Example of a Poster Advertising a Yard Sale.

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