Hi All,

this is the thread where you can put up your poster designs for comment by all and sundry on the board.

If you want to display your poster for comment, email it to Jane (jane@amdram.co.uk) (make sure its a format people will be able to open, jpeg, pdf, word etc) she will then host it on the site. Once I've checked that no copyright issues etc exist, i'll post here to let you know its up, and you can then all pass comment to your hearts content

have fun

pamela
xx

And to kick things off, version one of my king and i poster can now be found here:

pain and panic - the king and i

Hi Pamela,

I guess it depends on what it's purpose is. If it's a flyer that is intended for people to read, its super. However, in my humble opinion, if it's meant to be a true poster, then its far too difficult to read quickly, there is too much detail and insufficient contrast to catch the eye. Ask yourself the question, why would someone on the move, stop and read this? I suggest they would just walk on.

It's the reason why most professional posters for anything are graphically simple, bright and with mega size writing in an easy to read font.

Sorry.

Robin

I would tend to agree, unfortunately everything text wise that is on there has to be on there to satisfy the rights holders. I had done an earlier version without the buddha image, but i thought it looked awfully sparse . . .

Apart from agreeing with Robin, the only other thing I would add is that IMO I don't like recognisable images of the cast, as attactive as you two obviously are, it justs seems a bit elitist. But that's just me.

I like it PJ - Simple and very elegant and it's a lovely picture of you and your new King

the only comment I would make is that the black trousers and your dark hair belnds in a little with the Black background.... although saying that I'm not sure that any other background colour would work quite as well.

Yes, I too don't like to see cast pics - somehow it makes it look too "real" rather than preserving the fantasy. Or is that just plain daft?

I also associate the King and I with rich bright colours - pinks and golds. I love the buddha. A great image you could perhaps play up more and against a rather less severe background?

In terms of text, the key things I always look for is what and when. The title is obviously lovely and prominent. The date could be too. The info about where it is and the number to ring tickets could, in my view (am I wrong Robin?) be lower down and less prominent. This would then minimise the amount of large text that needs to be seen.

But I have to say that what you have here is a perfectly usable poster that you could stick up anywhere today. Given that you are directing, acting and probably doing a thousand and one other things too, you have to weigh up whether it's worth spending your valuable time and energy tinkering endlessly with the poster.

Changing the subject slightly, this is my poster (which is curently up on Norwood High Street!) but I just wondered if anybody had any comments to make?


IMHO sometimes cast pics can work very well, and sometime they can look a little posed. is there any way to get any more colour into your poster, Pam? Less black???

Boston Marriage

I just edited your post, Kat (just so you know) as the link didn't work ...

Thanks hun - I've been faffing with it too!

I'm not very bright - can't even do links when its made dead easy for you!

I realise it's too late for BM, Kat, but there's no time on the poster ...

If you want to go for a lighter look Pamela....

There's old Maps which have a lot of character...

http://www.eawag.ch/research_e/siam/images_e/siam.jpg

and lovely buds here

http://www.buddhamuseum.com/18th-century-w...iam-buddha.html

No harm in asking them if you can use their images..

that's a good point....

This si quite interesting, and shows just how much of a personal preference posters are, ive tweaked both images im using, bu am essentially going to go with the poster i put up.

Its funny though, i would never dream of using something like the maps that George suggested, in my eyes they are 'weak' images, and i generally go for strong with my posters (hence the black)

I would agree with cast photos, sometimes i like, sometimes i dont, but i personally dont like posters with just generic images on them, think they tend to hark back to the terrrible free clip art fests you sometimes get. That said, bad photos are terrible . . .

xx

Personal preferences do play a major part in the selection
of posters.... And selecting strong images for posters like
the West Style is fine if you can pulled it off...

Personally I don't like the Dark look unless it's for something
like Sweeny or Jec and Hide...

In a lighter style musical, I'd go for a lighter look to encourage
it beeing seen as a family musical.

I like to keep things simple and not too busy on a poster..

An example would be this...

http://www.amadrama.co.uk/images/demoposter.jpg

Clean, simple and to the point... Took me 5 minutes to do,
so there's room for a lot of improvement

The Buuda image can be easily reproduced by buying a small
budda like this, photographing it and then colourising it.

No offence George, but i would never put out a poster like that, to me it screams amateur, but again, thats personal preference and opinion, i dont like light backgrounds for the simple reason that they disappear when arrayed with 30 other posters, most of which will be word / clip art etc etc.


xx

Right decision, pamela. As long as it has all the info you want on it and it's going to attract attention - and it is very striking - anything else is personal preference and you will never please everyone. Don't waste your time tinkering!

Sadly I can't get at either of kat or george's posters - work machine on a go slow today...sigh.... I was dead curious to see george's screaming poster...!

I like George's poster. Although I do agree in general about light backgrounds, it all depends on the complete poster. I George's case, I think it works.

No offence taken at all...

It was purely a 5 minute example of a lighter side of postering...

I'd certainly put a nice frame round it if I had time.

The trouble though when you try to copy the west end style,
is that if you don't go the whole hog and get proper
type setting, images and photographs that too can end
up looking like a amateur throw together of different images
and styles...

But we should all remember....

It's not about personal tastes and what you like or dislike...

You're aiming at a target audience... It's what THEY think that's important...

The proof of the pudding is in the bums of the seats...

Maureen - my poster is on the front page of the SLT main site, if that's any easier for you.

Couple more points for Pam - take the phone number block up so it doesn't blend into the white of your skirt and move the title text up so it doesn't cover the eyes for the Buddha.

Ok, taking into account some of your comments, (and totally ignoring others )

version 2

yet another version

marks, set, go . . . .

Personally Pamela I prefer the last one - it's more quirky

Version 2 certainly clears up the problems I had with version 1,

"yet another version" is good but don't like the vast Blackness in the middle <_<

as far as cast pics on the poster, I think if the cast member is a pinacle roll to the plot of the production then it's ok to have it on the poster.

Sorry but despite it's plain look I much prefer George's (which probably confirms my Amateur status )

And apologies to all concerned but cast photos on amdram posters smacks of ego tripping to me... I'd be unlikely to go to an amdram production with mug shots on.... I'd think they were in it to be "famous" which is always a bad combination.

Actually going the photographic route I would stick with the Buddha image as it is very striking and strong... drop that cast shot and keep background as black as it is quite striking (although v expensive to print I would guess)

Oh and I'd work on the text ... plain nasty white text detracts from the nice pics and use of colour... If it has to be white then use a more interesting font or soften the white so it isn't so harsh... Oh and the Main title text hitting Buddhha's eyeline looks a bit cluttered... Problem with text opn full colour photographic style posters is that plain colour text looks jarring and out of place against photographic background...

But then again... I don't like musicals so

1) I am not exactly your target market

2) what do I know



Just to show I am not an Amateur fuddy-duddy... I loved the poster Katb linked to... lovely use of colour and desing... only wish we had half that talent available for our designs...

Oh and we can't talk as our posters are of the white variety with lovely logo and picture and text variety... a bit like George's actually.. we'd love to do more elaborate ones but printers charge a fortune if you fill the whole page with colour no good on our meagre budget. We only went colour 3/4 years ago

For a laugh I might dig out our old posters ... we have some hideous designs.... now we trust our desings to a printing company (this year publicity budget is more than a ream of A4 and a packet of polos )

Sadly I have some cracking recent posters which show how bad our desings are... however they are all in Word format which I am sure I read on here was verboten/rubbish

But on the bright side we don't use nasty free clip art...

two with handdrawn caricatures which we are fond of... and the other with a silhouette... done hastily with a handheld mobile camera and paint shop pro!... Designed in 5 mins before going to local fayre to hand out flyers (we had forgotten to do it ... haha)... but the committee liked it so much they kept it for whole set of publicity months later... so my embarrasment was sustained for 4 motnhs... gah.... Oh and I guess it is technically a cast mug shot so I am guitly and a hypocrite to boot!!!... I think i might as well get my coat

but changes are afoot .. here is our new brand spanking new logo!!!!

Yes I know it's the boring old masks but there are alot of old tradionalists in the group ...

But there are moves a foot to shorten our (riduculously long) name so we become simply and elegantly Albrighton Players

[IMG]http://www.fawltyuk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/apdglogo.jpg[/IMG]

Lol

We always use full bleed gloss prints, and always use photos. just preference again i guess.

We must however be doing something right as we won a pretty shiny trophy for our design last year (which was not dissimilar to that one . . . )

actually, was this one

xx

I think the Cabaret one is amazing. I also like the first King and I version best, but I think I might try to soften or age the photo so it melts just a little more into the background and is just a little less sharp. That's where to Cabaret one scores, I think, it feels more of a whole image. I thionk it is very eye catching indeed.

"yet another version" gets my vote....

More clevage....

On the guy....

hehehe

New poster for Honk! courtesy of Di Spencer

Honk - Wolverhampton Youth Music Theatre

xx

Yup I like it..... Simple and to the point...

If anything the swan and ducks could be a little bit bigger... Not the spotlight, that's fine but to give more focus on the birds....

Perhaps even a golden glint on the swan.....

Very nice.

Certainly eye catching.

I particularly like the eyes

Just a small point. I thought it was policy that shows were not advertised on the board (of course, I may be wrong). Showing the posters in this thread is a very good way of getting round this.

Not that I'm bothered as I have no problem with giving show details via the board but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Same could be said with people asking to show their websites off and review those.

And the "today I will be mostly..." thread where we all go "AAARRGGHHH, dress rehearsal tonight".

I love the thought that we're all LAW BREAKERS!

Very frustrating-I can view everything except Pamela's posters.
Why won't they open? It asks me if I want to download so I say yes-and then there's nothing to see. Help!

mine are pdfs, do you have acrobat reader installed?

x

Hi all

Thanks for the comments on the poster - we were looking for a different take on it because Honk can get overly cutesy, and that's not how we want to play ours. The chap who did it for me is Steve Purkiss of SP SERvices
SP Services

Just a point on loading the earier ones. I can load Pamela's, but then explorer crashes because of a problem with an add in. Having said that, they were well worth reloading for. Very eye catching indeed.

Di

I think everything I would have said for King and I, has been covered already.

Re Honk, i think having the prices on is just clutter. I'd put those on the reverse of a flier, and just leave them off a poster.

Yes, I can see that, and we do for some. We have slightly different versions. The ones for the theatre don't have it, and the fliers have it on the back. That particular one goes in music school, where it's not too bad if it's big enough. We also have a white backgound version for fliers where we have to print out hundreds to go out on spec - saves quite a lot of printing time.

Ah-did have..but probably lost it when PC crashed and everything was lost a couple of months ago.
Thanks Pamela! XX

Yippee-can now view everything! Very nice-ours will be pants in comparison.

I think that Pamela's posters for King and I are very striking, however (and this is my only criticism) I would prefer Mrs. Anna's hair style and make up to be more in keeping with what the audience might be able to expect to see at a performance...somehow this actress looks alot like I suspect she looks in her everyday "look" (with the exception of the dress) -- too present-day looking, if that makes any sense.

We have been doing a lot of posters with cast photos on them for some reason lately...sometimes it works well and sometimes it doesn't...I hope we don't start thinking of it as the standard, though.

LOL!!!!

I totally agree, neither the hair nor makeup is period, and was thrown together very last minute as we needed promo photos that day.

However . . . the actress is me, and i look nothing like that in everyday look, i currently have a shaved head, lots of tattoos and piercings, and tend to wear too much heavy makeup

xx

What tosh.....

She's exactly like that... an English Rose of a woman....

Tattoos indeed LOL

Not sure she'll be too happy with the "English" bit

*thwacks George over the head with her Siamese fan*

You should have used your gong

Well she is playing a English/Welsh rose.... and she's a good actress..

NOW THAT would have been a good Poster idea....

Image it...

A lace fan infront of Anna's face....
Then behind her, coming out of the shadows.... The King's face..

Hmmmmm spooky...

Text could be on the fan.... so it's readable..

Or she could be whacking him over the head with it..

This is a great thread! I realise it all happened when I was away on holiday so I never read through it.
I am working on the poster for our next musical, so did a search to see what you all get up to. I must say this is my first time having to put soooo many "credits!
There is no getting away from that.
I liked Pamela's first poster