List of Poster Conventions

The research and planning I have been doing about the conventions of a poster have shown me a lot about what a poster should have on it. From the exercise I have compiled a list of conventions, not all of which I will use in my poster, but they will act as a guideline when creating my poster.

Having researched these and other posters, the following conventions appear frequently and I will make sure I will use them in my poster.

• Images (Stars/Characters, Scenes from the film)
• Quotations from magazines/newspapers reviews (showing target audience)
• Taglines
• Release Date (Sometimes vague e.g. ‘Coming Next Summer’)
• The title (always the biggest text on poster)
• Logos of companies involved in making the film
• Website
• Reference to source material
• Images of stars
• Eye Candy (Male or Female/Explosions/Action)
• Star Ratings
• Certificate
• Merchandise (e.g. soundtrack)
• Awards and nominations
• Reference to other films
• Credits / Billing
• Sound Logos
• Director
• Mise-en-scene (referencing genre)

When creating my poster I will always refer back to this list of conventions.