As you design posters to promote your band, you probably know your band posters have to be attention-grabbing. Because no attention = no interest = no following.
But if you’re a musician first and a marketer second, you might not know exactly how to create such posters. Well, this post is for you!
We’ve curated a list of seven ideas for designing band posters that will get your band noticed. We’ve also provided examples and free band poster templates for you to reference as you create your posters.
Ready to begin?
1. Feature your band
Since your band posters are about your band, they will obviously need to feature your band members. But don’t tuck everyone away in a small corner of your poster!
Show off your band members front and center—and this includes you—to catch your fans’ eye. Take a look at how the band Aerosmith is featured in this rock band poster, for example:
Once your fans realize the poster is about one of their favorite bands, they’ll be more likely to view the rest of your poster in more detail.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
2. Pick an attractive color palette
Choose an attractive color palette for your band flyers. You’ll want your colors to complement each other well instead of clashing—and turning your poster into a confused, colorful mess.
The trick here is to not go overboard with dozens of colors, but to limit your color palette to a few well-chosen ones.
We like this band poster from The Orange Constant, which uses choice shades of green, pink, and yellow to stand out:
You can also make use of color psychology to shortlist colors for your music band posters. More info on color psychology here.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
3. Include key concert details
If you’re making a band poster to promote an upcoming concert, don’t forget to include key concert details such as:
- The concert location
- The concert date and time
- How your fans can get tickets
This tip works for virtual concerts too! For example, this band poster from 5 Seconds of Summer promoted the global livestream of their “The Feeling of Falling Upwards” concert:
Pro tip if you’ll be publishing the poster on your socials: Make full use of your social media caption to share as many concert details as you can.
Take another look at the 5 Seconds of Summer poster we shared above, and you’ll see what we mean!
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
4. Use high-quality images in your posters
We’ve seen too many band posters get ruined because their designers used grainy or blurry images in them. If you want your posters to look professional, then the images you use in them need to be as high-quality as possible.
Just like the picture of the Parcels band in their poster:
Bands with higher budgets can splurge on studio shoots for their photos, but even your smartphone can take beautiful, crisp images if you adjust your settings correctly. (Just be sure to pick flattering camera angles and shoot in a location with lots of light!)
Also, take care not to over-compress your images. Compressing your images can help you reduce their file sizes, but at the expense of quality.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
5. Choose easy-to-read poster fonts
Whether they’re promoting your band in general or an upcoming concert, your posters help get your message across—so it’s important that people can easily read their text.
Stay away from overly complicated fonts that are difficult to make out, no matter how beautiful they may be. Instead, stick with clean and legible fonts. Here are some of our favorite fonts:
- Moon
- Infinity
- Jaapokki
The Big Moon has done a great job of choosing an appealing font for its band poster:
If you aren’t sure whether your poster is easy to read, show it to a friend or colleague to get their feedback.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
6. Take advantage of symmetry
Want a more unique-looking poster? Then try adding symmetry to your poster design. When done well, symmetry can elevate your poster from “simple” to “stunning.”
This band poster by Mumford & Sons shows exactly what we mean:
The poster is both vertically and horizontally symmetrical, and also incorporates symmetrical sun, moon, and mountain elements. Beautiful.
If you’re keen on making a symmetrical poster, it helps to first decide how you want such symmetry to look like.
For example, will you repeat certain elements, or mirror them vertically or horizontally? Experiment until you come up with your own perfectly symmetrical poster.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
7. Make an animated poster
Once you’ve gotten the hang of making a band poster, challenge yourself with the making of an animated poster. With their moving text and images, animated posters have more visual interest that can hold your fans’ attention for longer.
Your poster’s animations can be as subtle as those used in this animated Simple Plan poster:
You can also make your animations bolder and flashier, like what Sugababes has done for its band poster:
There are a few methods of creating an animated poster.
One method is to design it from scratch. But if you have already created a static band flyer, you can use PosterMyWall to turn your flyer into a video in minutes.
Try this tip out with this PosterMyWall template:
Promote your band with posters and more
Want to learn more tips and tricks for promoting your band? Then check out these other guides:
- How to design your concert poster in 7 easy steps
- 5 COVID-proof ways for bands to promote their music online
- 7 tips to build an engaged music fan base
You’ll find more of such great marketing resources for bands on the Gradient blog, which you can visit here!
Qasim is a senior editor at PosterMyWall. Qasim is a reader and writer during and after work, and likes to explore a wide range of topics and niches. Outside of work, he likes to meditate, listen to good music and journal.
