Designing Outside 8.5x11

Learn how to

MAKE IT
so you get heard every time.

Make it REAL – the more clearly your students can visualize your event, the more likely
they’ll be to come. Whenever possible take objects, ideas and visuals from your event and
implant them in your crowd’s mind.

Make it EVER-PRESENT – your advertising needs to be so ever-present that you can’t
stand anywhere on your floor or in the building and not see at least one ad. There is a popular
maxim in advertising that people will view an ad six times before they pay any attention to it.

Make it EASY – use stuff that has been done before. Not everything has to be new and
improved.

Make it MYSTERIOUS – anything that can be “unveiled.” You advertise without giving
out any details.

Make it CONTROVERSIAL – wherever there’s conflict, there’s crowds.

Make it PUBLIC – free publicity is pure gold to event promoters. Let your event loose in
the wild.

Make it REGULAR – everyone knows when their favorite TV show is. You can make the
same idea work for you.

Make it CURRENT – by referencing pop culture, you’re able to take a thought already on
someone’s mind and use it as a “peg” to hang your advertisement on.

Make it FUNNY – When people hear a great joke, they share it with everyone they can.
Jokes spread—so can the event you are trying to sell.

Make it COUNTER-INTUITIVE – “reverse ads” take advantage of people’s inherent
desire to not do what they are told.

Taken from “Pack the House” by Brian Brushwood and C.J. Johnson

Designing Outside 8.5x11 | Paul G. Brown

Visible Color Com-
Utilizize a little bit of

COLOR
binations
Black on Yellow
White on Black
Yellow on Blue
Black on White
to generate excitement Green on Yellow

Color is a wonderful thing, but you have to use it
NON-Visible Color
appropriately. Sometimes, black and white posters can Combinations
be more effective than posters that use color poorly. Yellow on White
Contrast is usually MORE IMPORTANT than color in catching Orange on Red
someone’s attention with a poster. To the right, you will
Blue on Purple
find suggestions on color combinations that work well and
those that don’t work well together. Purple on Red

In addition to using color for visibility, it can also be used to Contrast Colors
set a mood or tone. The chart below gives you an ideas of Red and Green
what colors represent what thoughts and emotions. Orange and Blue
Yellow and Purple
Color Psychology Black and White

There is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous. Yet what does it all mean? Why are people more re-
laxed in green rooms? Why do weightlifters do their best in blue gyms? Colors often have different
meanings in various cultures. And even in Western societies, the meanings of various colors have
changed over the years. But today in the U.S., researchers have generally found the following:

Black
Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear
thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify
submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men.
Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains wear black.

White
Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a sum-
mer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with
everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors.
Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Food for Thought
While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in
nature. Food researchers say that when humans searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or
spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. When food dyed blue is served to study
subjects, they lose appetite. Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red is often
used in restaurant decorating schemes because it is an appetite stimulant.

Utilize a little bit of

COLOR
to generate excitement.

Red
The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of
love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red cloth-
ing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In
decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will
attract attention. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the
locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Blue
The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as
red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms.
Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews
because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able
to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Green
Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and
can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to
relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbol-
ize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to
use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Yellow
Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their
tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take
in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also
speeds metabolism.

Purple
The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic.
However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.

Brown
Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while
dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is
one of their favorite colors.

Taken from: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html


a few words about

FONTS
and how to use them most effectively

T
What is a Serif?
3 basic types of fonts:
Example of

1. Sans Serif “serifs.”

(ex. Arial, Tahoma, Comic Sans, etc.)

T
The word “sans” means “without.”
2. Serif
(ex. Times New Roman, Courier, etc.)
Example of a
3. Artistic font without
“serifs.”
(ex. Jokerman, Rosewood, etc.)

When should I use a particular font?

SANS SERIF FONTS ARE GOOD
FOR TITLES OR HEADLINES
Serif’ed fonts are good for large amounts of text because they are easy to read. Although they can also be
used as headline or title fonts, it is more common to ﬁnd them used in “body text” or in longer paragraphs.
That is why books are often printed in a font with serifs. Newspapers often follow this “sans serif for
headlines”/”serif for text” rule.

Artistic fonts are most often used for headlines. A common mistake people make when designing posters or
publications is to use artistic fonts for large amounts of text. This is often difﬁcult to read and causes eyestrain. A
well used artistic font can be excellent for a splash of excitement or to create a particular mood.


understanding the difference between

VECTOR & RASTER
clip art and images

Vector-based Clip Art

Vector clip art is a drawing or collection of lines and
color. When you re-size a vector image, the com-
puter re-calculates and redraws the lines and shapes
each time. Therefore, even if you blow up a vector
image to a really large size, it always stays sharp and
clean. The lines are re-drawn perfectly.

It is best to use vector images when you want to use
a REALLY LARGE version of the image. They are also
ideal if you want a crisp and clean look to your
posters. You can find vector-based clip art by search-
ing through Microsoft Word’s clip art gallery or on
istockphoto.com.

Raster-based Images One Pixel

Vector images are essentially photos. Photographs are
made up of a series of small squares known as “pixels.”
When viewing a photograph with a “high resolution” it
has a large number of individual pixels. When viewed at a
small size, or from a distance, these pixels are impercep-
tible to the eye. When you enlarge a raster image, these
pixels become more noticeable. Many modern computer
programs will attempt to offset this by blurring the image.
In either case, your image will look pixilated or soft and
unsharp.

It is best to use raster images or photographs as small
elements on your page, unless you can find it in a really
high-resolution format. IF you cannot find a raster image
in a high quality format, consider using a vector image
instead. You can find raster-based images by searching
on yahoo.com, google.com, istockphoto.com of through
Microsoft Word.


tracking the

EVOLUTION
of a poster for a hall bbq
Draft 1

Notice how grainy
the photograph is.
See later sections on
raster-based images
and how to search
for better images on
Use something other the web.
than Times New
Roman. It’s tired and
not noticeable.

Be sure to include all of
the important details
of your event. Time,
Date, Location, Admis-
sion Price, etc.

This poster was clearly done in a hurry. It uses the standard font in MS Word, Times New Roman, all of the
text is the same font size, and the image is grainy and pixilated. When you’re in a hurry, take a few extra
minutes to play around with your font choice and sizes. Also, take the extra time to find a better image.
Simple clean images often convey your message the best.


tracking the

EVOLUTION
Draft 2

Play around with
your margins. This
poster would have
looked better if it
filled more of the
page. MS Word
automatically
defaults to 1.25”
The use of fonts has
margins, but you can
improved in this poster.
change this.
We now have different
sizes to draw attention
to important words.
The use of white text
against a black box
also makes the text
really “pop’ off the
page. It is a simple and
effective way to add The clip art has
weight to a black and improved since the last
white poster. version. It is clean,
sharp and simple. It
very easily conveys the
message of a
barbeque.

The poster has certainly gotten better. The use of different size fonts, and the white text on black makes the
title and purpose of the poster much more clear. The clip art is sharp, simple and clean. This poster is using
white space very effectively. Best of all, it took less than 5 minutes to improve it over the previous version.


tracking the

EVOLUTION
Draft 3

Don’t be afraid to play around with the orientation of your paper (landscape or portrait) or it’s
size. Consider cutting down your poster into a different shape, such as a square, circle or rect-
angle. You can also use different sizes such as legal (8.5x14) or tabloid (11x17). Many copiers
and printers can accommodate these sizes.

This picture is actu-
ally a real-life photo-
graph of one of the
RAs in the building.
A great way to draw
attention to your
posters is to use a
popular or well
known figure from
your organization in
the poster. The
stranger or funnier
picture, the better. In
this case, the picture
is mysterious at first
glance. It draws the
viewer in who wants
to find out more.

This poster is taking us in a different direction than the last one, and it isn’t necessarily better. It is doing
some new things right, but also reverting to some old wrongs. The orientation of the poster has changed to
landscape (sideways). The fonts have been moved, but they seem to have lost their emphasis on the page
and we still haven’t moved on from Times New Roman. The image has gotten more “mysterious” and will no
doubt draw more attention, although it has lost the clean simple look of the previous piece of clip art.


tracking the

EVOLUTION
Draft 4

The flames were added into the background to give the
Finally! The font has changed! The use of a
poster more depth. Using images as a background that
bolder font makes the text stand out much
fills the entire space known as using a “screen.” If you do
more, especially agains the white. The text at
use images for the background, consider “lightening”
the bottom, however, is still getting lost.
them, or “blurring” them. You don’t want the background
to take away from the main attraction on the poster.

Consider having
images “bleed” off of
your page. A “bleed” is
when the image goes
right off the edge of
the page. You don’t
have to keep all of your
images inside the
margins of the paper.

This is the last version in our evolution. The poster still ahs some work, but it demonstrates some of the do’s
and don’ts of poster design. We have FINALLY changed the font, although the text is still somewhat hard to
read and does not stand out. The picture is still the main draw, and the addition of the flames supports the
message and the picture.


tracking the

EVOLUTION
Other Ideas...

This poster was originally
done in 11x17 format.
Don’t be afraid to just use
one LARGE high quality
image in your posters. The
image in this poster domi-
nates the entire page.
Images like this one, that
are isolated on a white
background, can really
draw in one’s attention
and it was really easy to
make! When doing post-
ers such as this one, the
most important elements
are the image you choose
and the quality of it when
it is printed so large on the
page.

This poster takes a completely different
take on the program. If you walked past a
poster that was on a brightly colored piece
of paper and all it had was a black blob in
the middle, would you get curious and
stop? This poster isn’t high on design, but Are Your Hungry?
Want some free food?

it can certainly be effective. All of the
Good times with your friends?
Bishop Hall
BBQ
This Friday
5:00pm
Main Entrance

program details are typed in the center of
the page in an incredibly small font size.
The paper was copied in a bright fluores-
cent color. Posted in conspicuous places as
people walk by, the intrigue of seeing such
a strange poster is guaranteed to bring
them in to read more.


where to find the best

IMAGES & CLIP ART
for your posters
Many of the popular search engines allow you to search for images on the web. If you are searching for images
to use in your posters, make sure you select the “higher quality” option on the web page (see the example of
google.com below). Selecting higher quality images will ensure that your pictures don’t look pixilated.

Some common web pages where you can search
for images on the web:
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
www.istockphoto.com *

* Remember to observe copyright laws! Google
and Yahoo will pull all the pictures they find,
regardless of if you have the rights to reproduce
them. The last suggestion on this list, istockphoto,
requires that you pay for downloading its images,
but ensures you have the proper rights. istock-
photo provides very clean, beautiful, high quality
images for a very low price.

You can also find high-quality free leagal images and clip art in Microsoft Word...

STEP 2
You can search within this
dialog for clipart that was
installed with MS Office.
OR click “online” to go to...

STEP 1
Open MS Wordord and click STEP 3
through the following: On Microsoft’s webpage,
you can search for photos,
Insert > Picture > Clip Art... clip art, images, and even
video. All of it is for public
use!


You can create designs in

MS WORD
that rival those of professionals.
Images

One of the most important things to know about designing posters
in MS Word is how to take control of your images. You can do a lot
from the “Format Picture” dialog. You can bring up this dialog in
many ways: double click on the image, OR right click on the image
and select “Format Picture” (see right), OR click on the format picture
icon in one of your toolbars (see below right). This will bring up a
dialog box with five options along the top: Colors and Lines, Size,
Layout, Picture and Text Box. An example of the “Layout tab” is
below, but play around with the other options to discover new
effects. (If you are working with text boxes, lines, or other shapes in
MS Word, you can also bring up these same options and control
them in different ways.)

You can crop
your images
with the “crop”
icon button on
one of your MS
Word Toolbars.
The crop button
gives you a new
pointer with
your mouse
that allows you
to work directly
on the image.

If you’ve ever had the problem of not
You can rearrange and being able to put an image EXACTLY
reorder images so that where you wanted to on a page, this
they overlap each other is where you can solve it. By chang-
or text. You can change ing these options, you can have your
which is “in front” and text “wrap” or flow around the image,
which is “behind.” and you can have the text in front of
or behind the image. This will also
“free” your image so you can place it
anywhere you want to on the page.


you don’t have to have access to fancy

PRINTING
to design outside 8.5x11
Printing on sizes other than 8.5 x 11
Almost all commercial copiers can accommodate paper sizes larger than your standard letter paper. The largest
size if known as “tabloid” or 11 x 17. Tabloid-size is equivalent to pieces of letter-sized paper placed side-by-side.
If you want to design on 11 x 17, you can change your paper size in most programs under the “File > Page Setup”
menu.

If you are using a home printer, you likely cannot print on tabloid-sized paper. Instead, consider using legal-sized
paper. Legal-sized paper is 8.5 x 14 and is the same width as letter-sized paper, but adds an extra 3 inches to the
length. Legal size paper works on virtually every printer that can accommodate letter-sized paper.

Printing in Color
If you are not lucky enough to have access to a color copier, you can go to your campus copy shop, or a dedi-
cated copy business such as Kinko’s or the UPS Store to get your posters printed. 11 x 17 color posters cost
approximately 60-80 cents each. For all-hall or campus-wide programs, it may be worth this extra cost. If you
don’t have the budget for large color posters, or the access, consider printing it from your own printer on a
slightly smaller size, like the legal-sized paper referenced above.

Remember: The best designs don’t always have to be in color or on larger-format paper. Regardless of
what printers and copiers you have access to, you can still design eye-catching posters.

Letter Size

8.5 x 11
Legal Size

8.5 x 14
Tabloid Size

11 x 17
(two pieces of letter paper combined)


When it comes to design, there are a few...

DON’Ts
I will hunt you down for bad design.

Don’t crowd posters with a lot of text that people don’t need to know.
“White space” or “blank space” on a poster can be a wonderful thing. Used
appropriately, it adds to the ﬂow of the poster and is pleasing to the eye.
Sometimes you may really want to use ﬁve or six pieces of clip art that you love,
but one or two might look better. Remember your K.I.S.S. rules when designing a
poster: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

PIXELATED Photos
Photographs can be tricky objects to work with.
Because they are raster-based images, they often
do not enlarge well. When working with photos,
be careful not to enlarge them TOO much so that
hey are unrecognizable. Be especially careful with
photos from the web. Web images are meant to
be small so they load fast. They often do not
reproduce well in printed form.

Don’t
stretch
photos.
Hold the “Control” or
sometimes “Shift” button to
keep them in proportion when
you resize them.


When it comes to design, there are a few...

DON’Ts
I will hunt you down for bad design.

Over-used fonts
Certain fonts are SO commonly used (use sparingly)
that they lose their effectiveness in
our posters. Try using an Artistic font Comic Sans MS
for a title and then various san serif
or serif’ed fonts for the remainder of Courier
the poster. There are many fonts that Others?
Jokerman/MaxCircus
are similar to the standard “Arial” and
“Times New Roman” that can add that
extra touch to your designs.

art
Word and Publishe r templates and clip
Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word have both revolutionized the
way we make posters. They now include many templates and wizards
that practically design the poster for you. Unfortunately, with this ease
of use comes standardization. Common graphics and clip-art from
Microsoft programs can become “invisible” or look “amateurish.”

Pizza tonight.
White paper/Courier font
7:00 This is the most common type of 2-minute slap-it-up-on-
the-wall-type poster. Avoid it. Good posters don’t have to
Lobby. take a long time.


Make your presentations

STICKIER
to make your posters memorable!

Simple. If everything is important then nothing is important. If everything is
priority then nothing is priority. You must be ruthless in your efforts to simplify —
not dumb down — your message to its absolute core. We’re not talking about
shallow sound bites here. Every idea — if you work hard enough — can be
reduced to it bare essential meaning. For your poster, what’s the key point?
What’s the core? Why does (should) it matter? For your visuals the mantra is:
Maximum effect, minimum means.

Unexpectedness. You can get people’s interest by violating their
expectations. Surprise people. Surprise will get their interest. But to sustain their
interest you have to stimulate their curiosity. The best way to do that is to pose
questions or open up holes in people’s knowledge and then fill those holes, say
the authors. Make the audience aware that they have a gap in their knowledge
and then fill that gap with the answers to the puzzle (or guide them to the
answers). Take people on a journey of discovery.

Concrete. Speak of concrete images not of vague notions. Proverbs
are good, say the authors, at reducing abstract concepts to concrete, simple,
but powerful (and memorable) language. For example, we might say “kill
two birds with one stone.” Easier than saying something like “…let’s work
toward maximizing our productivity by increasing efficiency across depart-
ments,” etc. And the phrase “…go to the moon and back” by JFK (and Ralph
Kramden before him)? That’s concrete. You connect with that.

Adapted from the book, “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. Images taken and text modified from a summary on the
“Presentation Zen” blog: http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/07/make.html
Garr Reynold’s website is an excellent resource for making better presentations. He is also coming out with a book soon.


Make your presentations

STICKIER
to make your posters memorable!

Credible. Put on the mood lighting. Make sure your poster design is appro-
priate to the content of the program. A poster about a lecture on genocide
around the world will look very different from a poster advertising an ice cream
social. Advertise experts that might be present at the program. Choose images
and clip art from actual real-world experiences. A quick powerful quote
displayed prominently on the poster or a snap statistic may help lend to your
credibility.

Emotion. People are emotional beings. It is not enough to take people
through a laundry list of program details, you must make them feel something.
There are a million ways to help people feel something about your content.
Images, of course, are one way to have audiences not only understand your point
better but also to feel and to have a more visceral and emotional connection to
your idea. We make emotional connections with people not abstractions. When
possible put your ideas in human terms. For example, when creating a poster for
a peer group health program on nutrition, Instead of using a picture of a food
pyramid, a picture (or verbal description) of an enormous plate of greasy French
fries stacked high, a double cheese burger (extra cheese), and a large chocolate
shake (extra whip cream) is visceral and sticky.

Story. We tell stories all day long. It’s how humans have always commu-
nicated. We tell stories with our words and even with our art. We express
ourselves through the stories we share. We teach, we learn, and we grow
through stories. Why do our posters just detail time, date and location?
Great ideas and great posters have an element of story to them. Stories get
our attention and are easier to remember than lists of rules.

Adapted from the book, “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. Images taken and text modified from a summary on the
“Presentation Zen” blog: http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/07/make.html
Garr Reynold’s website is an excellent resource for making better presentations. He is also coming out with a book soon.


learn how to best

COMMUNICATE
with your audience

People can:
Speak at 150-200 words per minute (wpm)
Hear at 450-600 wpm

People forget:
66% of what they hear within 24 hours of hearing it once.

People remember:
11% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they see and hear
70% of what they do
90% of what they say and do

7% of ALL communication is verbal
93% of ALL communication is non-verbal.
38% = voice and gestures
55% = non-verbal

During a typical 16-hour day, people spend 70% (11 hours) of their
time communicating. The breakdown of that communication is:
45% = listening = 5 hours
30% = speaking = 3 hours
16% = reading = 2 hours
9% = writing = 1 hour

Taken from “Understanding Communication” @ http://www.rwuniversity.com


A whole

ALPHABET
of ideas to kick-start your brain.
A Commercial break during a program
Add a letter to the program title on a bulle- Contact paper signs up in the showers
tin board each day Create a slogan
Advertise on related items Crossword puzzle
Advertise on stairs Cut out shapes and use them as the back-
Announce programs at Hall Council ground for posters and announcements
Announce the next program at a current D
program Decorate prior to the program
Arrows on the floor leading to the program Decorate a cake with the program informa-
B tion
Backwards signs Dial-An-Event Hotline
Bake something before the program Diorama
Balloons with the event information on Display case
them Door knob hangers
Bang trash can lids in the hallways before Door prizes
the program Door-to-door visits
Banners Dramatization
Bathroom publicity Drawing
Bathroom stall doors Dress in costume
Blacklight advertisements Drinking Fountain signs
Body paint E
Bookmarks Early arrival prizes
Bribe with food Elevator messages
Brochures E-Mail Announcements
Build human signs F
Bulletin Boards Fake dollar bills with program information
Bumper stickers on the back
Buttons Fancy borders
C Finger paint signs
Cartoons Flags
Ceiling signs Floor meetings
Celebrity spokespersons Floor signs
Certificates of attendance Fluorescent paper
Chain phone calls Food


A whole

ALPHABET
of ideas to kick start your brain.
Footprints on the floor leading to the pro- Notices under clocks
gram O
Foreign language signs Offer rewards and incentives for attending
Fortune cookies Oversized items
Frisbees
P
G Paint windows
Giant sized calendars on the wall Paper towel ads
Give away items Perform a skit in the lobby
Glitter Personal invitations
H Post notices near frequently used items (TV,
Hand out admission tickets to the program microwave)
Hang signs in unusual places Posts-its all around the hall
Helium balloons Put announcements inside balloons and
I invite people to pop them
Insert flyers into the Student newspaper Q
Inside washers and dryers Questions
Invite faculty or staff to attend Quotations
J R
Jam out to music in the lobby Reverse signs hung across from mirrors
K RHA
Knock door-to-door Ribbons with program information on them
Run a piece of Yarn from doors to the pro-
L gram
Ladder or puzzle signs
Life-sized people cutouts S
Lopsided signs Sandwich boards
Magazine cut outs Scavenger hunts
Make-up your own word or catch phrase Send personal invitations
Megaphone Show a pre-event video
Motorized RC car with advertisement on it Shower signs in zip-loc bags
Music Sidewalk chalk
Mystery guests Silent voicemails
Singing telegrams
N Stickers
Newsletters
Streamers


A whole

ALPHABET
of ideas to kick-start your brain.
T
Table tents
Tear off flyers
Teasers
Three dimensional signs
Tickets
Toilet paper ads
Trophies
T-Shirts
U
Under door advertisements
Unusual items used to make signs
Upside down flyers and posters
Use pictures of RAs, residents and administrators
V
Very large or very small print
Vicious rumors
W
White board messages
Window displays
Wrap announcements on candy or gum
Write a poem
Write on bathroom tile with dry erase marker (be careful)
Write on mirrors with a dry erase marker (be careful)
X
Xamine your audience
Y
Yard signs
Z
Zero in on one word to describe the program


Designing Outside 8.5x11

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