publicity 101

parts of a poster
types of posters
how to plan a poster design

STAGECRAFT 2021
 WITH THIS LESSON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO...

DEFINE EXPLAIN DESIGN

PUBLICITY ICONIC VS. HOW TO
TAGLINE REPRESENTATIONAL PLAN A
TYPEFACE POSTERS POSTER
-00
PUBLICITY
PUBLICITY &
MARKETING
PUBLICITY & DEFINITION:

MARKETING
PUBLICITY & DEFINITION:
INCREASING AWARENESS OF
SOMETHING, LIKE A MOVIE OR PLAY
MARKETING LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT IT
PUBLICITY & DEFINITION:
INCREASING AWARENESS OF
SOMETHING, LIKE A MOVIE OR PLAY
MARKETING LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT IT

HOW IS IT DONE?
PUBLICITY & DEFINITION:
INCREASING AWARENESS OF
SOMETHING, LIKE A MOVIE OR PLAY
MARKETING LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT IT

HOW IS IT DONE?

POSTERS
ONLINE ADS
TV APPEARANCES
PUBLICITY & DEFINITION:
INCREASING AWARENESS OF
SOMETHING, LIKE A MOVIE OR PLAY
MARKETING LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT IT

HOW IS IT DONE?

POSTERS SOCIAL MEDIA

ONLINE ADS WEBSITES
TV APPEARANCES WORD OF MOUTH
-01
UNDERSTANDING
POSTERS
PARTS OF A KEY IMAGE
POSTER all posters, even ones only made of
text, create a visual effect. what do
you think about this movie based on
the image?

TITLE
TAGLINE
you do need to tell us
what it's called

DETAILS
many posters have a tagline: a blurb
that tells us more about what to expect
from the experience.
This one: This is the story of a lifetime.
when and where to see it?
POSTERS HAVE TWO
BASIC TYPES:

REPRESENTATIONAL

ICONIC
 Representational
Shows you what will be happening in the movie or
play.
Representational

What will happen?

 iconic
Shows you what the story will feel like.
iconic
feeling
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2

REPRESENTATION

What kind of things do you expect out of this

movie?
MIDSOMMAR

REPRESENTATION

This is a horror movie about grief and bad

relationships.
You can see that this character is not going
to have a fun vacation.
INCEPTION

REPRESENTATION

This is a movie about controlling dreams.

Can you see where things are going to get a
bit bizarre?
MOONLIGHT

ICON + REPRESENTATION

What do you interpret about this movie

based on the poster?
What do you notice about the color split?
How many faces do you see?
BLACK SWAN

ICON

This is not actually a movie about a woman

whose face cracks.
What do you think happens to her?
US

ICON ... AND

REPRESENTATION...

There's a bit of truth in the symbolism of this

poster.
GLASS

ICON + REPRESENTATION

This poster is for a movie about comic book

style superheroes and dark themes.
Do you recognize the comic book parallels
with glass pieces looking like frames of a
graphic novel?
FAMOUS?

GO MORE
ICONIC!
WHAT DO
YOU
NOTICE?
KEY FOR
TELLING THE
STORY:
THE TAGLINE
TAGLINE
A short phrase or slogan
that gives more information
and feeling for the story.
4 PURPOSES OF A
TAGLINE

1
GIVE MORE
INFORMATION
ABOUT THE STORY
PURPOSES OF A
TAGLINE

2
GIVE A SENSE OF
FEELING
PURPOSES OF A
TAGLINE

3
ADD COMEDY OR
DRAMA TO THE
POSTER
PURPOSES OF A
TAGLINE

4
BECOME A
MEMORABLE
SLOGAN
A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY...

WHOEVER WINS... WE LOSE

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH IS NOT ALONE

-02
DESIGNING
POSTERS
WHAT IS THE KEY IMAGE?
The best key images instantly depict the
style of the show (comedy, tragedy, musical),
and hopefully something of the content.
CATS

KEY IMAGE
When the creative team of Cats first saw the Cats
poster design in 1981 there was an intake of breath,
an agonizing pause and then complete approval.

According to Sofie Mason of The Stage Magazine:

"Many across the theatre industry agree that this
was the seminal moment when theatre posters
moved away from the representational to the
iconic.”
FONT

WHAT TYPEFACE TO USE?

Typeface, or font, sends out a
visual message about the style or
content of the show.

Is it clean and sharp?

Is it handwritten looking?
Is it vivid and colorful?
-03
DESIGN
RESOURCES
 PAPER AND PENCIL

WHAT CAN YOU USE?

The best brainstorming happens
physically, with your arm and a
pencil, pen, or marker.

GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITOR

canva.com is a free graphic design

editor that has built in templates
to help with layout, color,
typeface, and basic images.
(this presentation was made on canva!)

IMAGE EDITOR

When you need to do your own art,

free web-based tools like Pixlr or
sketch.io are great and include
important tools like layers and
custom brushes.
RESOURCES
Minimalist Poster Design Tips
on Canva

AND TUTORIALS
Color in Graphic Design
on youtube