What Do Poster Designers Do? 2024 Career Guide (2024)

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

Learn what poster design is and how to work as a poster designer. Discover the necessary skills, qualifications, types of employment, and salary.

What Do Poster Designers Do? 2024 Career Guide (1)

Poster designers design and print artistic posters for musicians, concert promoters, bands, brewery owners, and others looking for ways to share information with customers.

A poster designer can also work for graphic design firms or government agencies under different titles like production artist, graphic artist, and illustrator.

A career in poster design involves skills that overlap with sales, marketing, art, and publishing. In this role, you must be organized, creative, and able to attract your target audience.

What do poster designers do?

Poster designers’s day-to-day work may include:

  • Meeting with clients to learn details of upcoming events

  • Creating artwork to meet the needs of clients

  • Advertising their art through social media

  • Coordinating screen printing

  • Shipping printed posters to clients sometimes within tight deadlines

  • Creating digital versions for online advertising

  • Pitching partnerships with local festivals, bands, breweries, concert promoters, and more

History of poster design

In the mid-19th century, executives in the music and entertainment industry commissioned artists to produce eye-catching posters to advertise upcoming events. They would print the posters using the newly invented three-tone lithographic process and use glue to hang them in public spaces like walls throughout cities.

Aspiring poster designers may be familiar with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his famous work advertising the Moulin Rouge in the late 1800s. With time, this art nouveau poster design style transitioned to art deco, and later, with the advent of American rock and roll, pop, and psychedelic art.

What Do Poster Designers Do? 2024 Career Guide (2)

Is poster design the same as graphic design?

Poster design is a type of graphic design. Poster artists utilize graphic design and usually have more flexibility and freedom beyond traditional marketing methods. The current focus on digital advertising offers opportunities for interactivity and dynamic designs that could transform poster art in new ways.

Here are some similarities between poster design and graphic design:

1. Both graphic and poster artists must consider the goal in their design.

2. Designs must connect with the target audience.

3. Colors, images, font, and format must echo the client’s brand.

4. Graphic design best practices, such as visual hierarchy, high-resolution images, and proper alignment, can also ensure pleasing aesthetics.

Read more: Graphic Artist vs. Graphic Designer: Understanding the Difference

Iconic poster designs

During World War II, the government commissioned artists to make propaganda posters like the famous Rosie the Riveter. In the 1960s, psychedelic rock bands like The Grateful Dead employed artists to share their vibe with music lovers with some unforgettable posters. In the 1980s, Neon Noir and Neo-Art Deco styles took over poster design.

What Do Poster Designers Do? 2024 Career Guide (3)

Essential skills for a poster designer

To work as a poster designer, you’ll need technical and creative skills to be successful. Many of the technical skills are compatible with graphic design.

Typography

Font styles are crucial elements of poster design. When designing a poster, some best practices include using complementary serif and sans serif fonts with the exception of the title, which can be a creative font. You can find examples with an internet search and on Canva and Adobe InDesign.

The font choices should be balanced, eye-pleasing, and easy to read. Canva offers templates with set typography that you may use for your work.

Color

A color wheel is a helpful tool that helps poster designers choose colors to create a focal point. The four color schemes are:

  • Monochromatic: Shades of a single color

  • Analogous: Colors combinations that are next to each other on the color wheel

  • Complementary: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel

  • Split complementary: Equidistant hues on the color wheel

Visual hierarchy

The arrangement of the elements arrangement for poster presentation is known as the hierarchy. Everything from negative space and font spacing to color and contrast helps a poster be appealing to the viewer.

Creative flair

Poster designers apply different styles and designs through inspiration from past work or new ideas. As a poster designer, you’ll need to be creative since clients may want to see a few concepts before moving forward with a poster.

Mastery of different artistic media

A poster designer may work with markers, paint, paper, canvas, or computer software tools like Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva to design. Whichever medium you choose, you’ll need to be able to produce the client’s designs.

Here are some common graphic design tools:

  • Procreate

  • Adobe Express

  • Canva

  • Figma

Understanding

While poster design differs from graphic design, good poster artists incorporate graphic design principles. This includes understanding color palettes, typography and font pairing, and balancing images, copy, and white space on the poster. While the music industry often leans toward nontraditional art, conveying a message to a target audience is still important.

Knowledge of screen printing

Professional poster designers often work with digital printing companies to make copies of posters for clients. However, music posters use screen printing technology to reproduce them. Understanding how it works (including the kinds of paper and ink used) will make it easier to work effectively within deadlines.

Ability to collaborate

Poster designers tend to work alone during the creation process. However, you’ll also need to network with prospective clients, collaborate with musicians, and connect with concert promoters. You need to communicate your visions clearly, schedule meetings, and sometimes change directions according to the client’s needs.

Ability to work independently

Most professional poster designers are often self-employed. You’ll be responsible for producing artwork and marketing your skills. It’s essential to double-check your work and learn new techniques to keep your art within the trends. You’ll need to quote a price for your time, invoice clients, and maintain financial records for tax purposes. Strong organizational skills and discipline will help keep you on track.

Qualifications needed to become a poster designer

Unlike graphic designers at publishing or marketing companies, poster designers typically work independently and don’t need a formal degree to break into the industry.

Instead, the qualifications to become a poster artist follow an artist’s career path. Poster designers typically build a branding recognition and fan base, pitch work to artists or concert promoters, and gain more prominent clients that pay more over time.

Having an active social media account and website to display your portfolio may be a good idea. Including a mood board in your portfolio can also show cohesiveness with fonts, images, patterns, textures, and color. Portfolios are a great way to showcase your artwork to future employers.

What jobs are available?

Many jobs involve creating posters for specific events in the music and entertainment industry. It can be a single assignment or a series, based on your portfolio, expertise, and partnership with your client. You can find some jobs with marketing graphic design firms, advertising agencies, and in the government. Other jobs may include designs for:

  • Events held at independent breweries

  • Music festival announcements

  • Record store events

  • School and sports posters and banners

How much do poster designers make?

Poster designers in the US earn an average base salary of $42,340 per year, according to Glassdoor [1].

As you gain experience and connections within the industry, you may work with musicians and promoters with larger budgets and bigger exposure. This will allow you to earn more over time.

Career development opportunities

To begin a career as a poster designer, you’ll need to be comfortable with the basic tools and demands within the industry you’re working. An online course can help you practice and hone art skills as you build a portfolio. Coursera Project Network offers a guided course on Designing a Music Festival Poster on Adobe Illustrator that can get you started.

Get started

To work as a poster designer, you’ll need graphic design skills to help companies convey their message to target audiences. Get started with the Graphic Design Specialization course offered by the California Institute of the Arts, a beginner program that you can typically complete in six months. Or consider the Fundamentals of Graphic Design course, which exposes you to the basic principles of graphic design, and learn techniques for designing posters.

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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

What Do Poster Designers Do? 2024 Career Guide (2024)

FAQs

What do poster designers do? ›

Creating artwork to meet the needs of clients. Advertising their art through social media. Coordinating screen printing. Shipping printed posters to clients sometimes within tight deadlines.

What skills do graphic designers need in 2024? ›

Essential graphic design skills encompass creativity, communication, typography, and innovation, crucial across industries. Effective time management, organization, and problem-solving are pivotal for graphic designers to meet diverse client demands.

Is graphic design a good career for 2024? ›

Combine your interest in artistic expression with your ability to use technology to pursue success in a graphic design career. You may wonder if this popular field is still an excellent path to pursue in 2024. The answer is yes.

What is the major function of poster design? ›

The main function of a poster is to capture a moving audience with a message. When designing a poster, plan its design carefully.

What do you do in poster making? ›

Then, we'll learn how to make a poster in six steps and start creating stunning posters:
  1. Step 1: Start with your foundation.
  2. Step 2: Draft an outline.
  3. Step 3: Decide on your color scheme.
  4. Step 4: Add your images.
  5. Step 5: Add your copy.
  6. Step 6: Make sure your CTA is easy to spot.
Dec 11, 2019

What is poster design ideas? ›

1. Create synergy with graphic and text design. This poster design is undeniably eye-catching. An epic photograph with dynamic lines and colors that catch your attention. What ultimately makes this design feel complete is the way the text plays off the photo.

Which type of graphic design is most in demand in 2024? ›

Motion graphics designers are most in-demand at AI companies, the entertainment industry, startups, marketing firms, and creative agencies, digital journalism organizations, e-commerce platforms, and the automotive industry.

How to be a graphic designer in 2024? ›

16 best ways to get a graphic design job in 2024:
  1. Pursue a formal education.
  2. Develop a strong basic skill set.
  3. Specialize in a design area.
  4. Get certified.
  5. Build a robust portfolio.
  6. Enhance your online presence.
  7. Volunteer your design skills.
  8. Gain practical experience through internships.

Is graphic design a hard skill or soft skill? ›

To recap: the graphic designer's skill set comprises hard skills (i.e. job-specific competencies), soft skills (the interpersonal skills that allow you to thrive in the role), and proficiency in industry software and tools.

How will graphic design grow in the next 5 to 10 years? ›

In the next five years, designers will increasingly focus on creating immersive designs that engage users and provide a memorable experience. These designs will incorporate elements like motion graphics, 3D animation, and virtual reality (VR) to create a more engaging and interactive experience.

Is graphic design stressful? ›

Is graphic design a stressful job? Graphic design can be a stressful job, especially when working on tight deadlines, managing multiple projects, or dealing with difficult clients. However, managing stress through effective time management, communication, and self-care practices can help mitigate these challenges.

Will AI replace graphic designers? ›

Is graphic design dying in future AI technology replacing graphic designers? While AI technology may eventually replace specific graphic design tasks, it is unlikely to replace graphic designers soon. AI technology has already been shown to be effective in automating the task of creating simple graphics.

What is a poster designer called? ›

They are called Graphic Designer . They can design all design whether it be poster design ,logo design, business cards design, invitation cards design etc. They can design anything which you want to design . You can find their services on freelancing sites . They are called Graphic Designer .

What are 4 benefits of a poster? ›

Here are some reasons why you should seriously think about using well-designed posters if you have something to promote.
  • Cheaper costs. Creating and distributing posters is a much cheaper form of advertising than radio or print. ...
  • Easily visible. ...
  • Encourage an active response. ...
  • The audience you want to target.
Mar 5, 2015

How do you make an e poster? ›

How to make a poster
  1. Get started on Canva. Open up Canva and search for "Poster" to start designing.
  2. Choose a template. ...
  3. Personalize your poster design. ...
  4. Get even more creative with more design features. ...
  5. Order your prints.

What is the difference between poster design and graphic design? ›

Advertising design consists of artwork created specifically for the promotion of products or services. Graphic design is a broader term, including everything from websites to posters to candy wrappers. Advertising design is a category under the graphic design umbrella, with the purpose of selling a brand in mind.

How much do poster makers make? ›

Poster Designer Salary
Annual SalaryHourly Wage
Top Earners$106,000$51
75th Percentile$63,000$30
Average$59,142$28
25th Percentile$42,500$20

How much do people charge for poster design? ›

For a poster design, you can also pay attention to the content and the complexity. Sometimes, it can take over $50-90. If you are considering more professional charges, the price can get into hourly fees. It can start from $50 per hour to $100 per hour.

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