[concertphotozin]

I'm into graphic art as a hobby and help design flyers / posters for local promoters. Here are some:

One Truth Fest - Olivia the Band Headliner
Layout and text mine. Leaping guitarist is a photo of mine that I photoshopped into a graphic and the live shots of Olivia the Band are mine.
The backyard cookout is a promo shot [not sure who it is].



The Wedding, Last Tuesday, Run Kid Run, Fireflight
Everything is my design except for the Wedding promo photo [not sure who it is]




Disciple
Layout and text design is mine. Background is the cover art of Disciple's album [ethnos design ????] and photo is by jeremy cowart
[who shoots a lot of the christian bands - the wedding shot might even be his]

[Nate]

Way too many fonts.

Way too many colors.

Way too many images.

Way too much clutter.

Way too much information.

Way too much background.

Way too many, way too much.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Nate

Way too many fonts.

Way too many colors.

Way too many images.

Way too much clutter.

Way too much information.

Way too much background.

Way too many, way too much.

indeed...for the average local promoter, they might use a few of these, but not very many. I've found that the best flyers for local events are basic in terms of color, because you really want something that's going to transfer well into black and white printing for small flyers and handbills.

these posters are definitely eye catching, but it took me awhile to figure out which bands you're promoting and which ones are in the "sounds like" category. Reading all of those "sounds like" things was kinda...ridiculous. if you took all of the "sounds like" and "featuring the singles" and the genres in the first poster, it'd improve it dramatically.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by thesteve

indeed...for the average local promoter, they might use a few of these, but not very many. I've found that the best flyers for local events are basic in terms of color, because you really want something that's going to transfer well into black and white printing for small flyers and handbills.

these posters are definitely eye catching, but it took me awhile to figure out which bands you're promoting and which ones are in the "sounds like" category. Reading all of those "sounds like" things was kinda...ridiculous. if you took all of the "sounds like" and "featuring the singles" and the genres in the first poster, it'd improve it dramatically.

Way too nice.

Way too forgiving.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Nate

Way too nice.

Way too forgiving.

well there's only so much you can do when all three poster designed are so uninspired and bland.

[Nate]

To be fair, the flyers were, indeed, eye-catching... then again, so are these sweaters:

[Nate]

I'm not really an insensitive jerk. I've honestly been sitting here for thirty minutes trying to think of something nice or positive or constructive to say. The problem is that you have basically thrown every rule, guideline, or principle of good graphic design out with the trash in these flyers, such that it's really hard to know where to start. All I can say is "It's all way too much."

[Jeffrey]

Think of it this way: most flyers I see are tacked on record store walls and bulletin boards. Walking past them, I spend about one second on each, given that I'm also processing all my normal mental functions. So if my brain is forced to do ten minutes' worth of work in one second, it will decide to ignore the flyer. But if I see key things in large, eye-catching font that aren't set in a page of clutter, I will be drawn to it. Show me the band name, and if they're not big locally or nationally, advertise instead how cheap the event is, or how my five bucks will let me see a dozen bands.

Even if the flyer was handed to me, I'm going to feel put upon by the person who handed me the flyer.

Trust me, I've been there. The first flyer I did listed the name of every band member...of a ska band. So it was a dozen people.

[Nate]

I poked around to find some examples of fairly effective flyers in a similar style:

[thesteve]

Good examples Nate.

One of the thing I've appreciated about my band is that our guitarist also does graphic design for a major t-shirt company (one of the ones that supplies Sears, JC Penney, etc.) so his poster designs tend to reflect a good sense of marketing as well as decent designs that will fit a purpose.

Our next show is a $3 show, which is really cheap, so he made that one of the centerpieces of the flyer

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Nate

I poked around to find some examples of fairly effective flyers in a similar style:

And now, I'll point some things out... all relating to simplicity and balance...

They have a lot of band names and information listed and a lot of fonts, so they keep the graphics and colors simple.

They have a huge picture and some interesting graphics, so they use one font, a few colors, and almost no detailed info.

They have a lot of fonts and and graphics, so they keep the information very basic and use only a few colors.

They have an awful lot of detailed information (which may be necessary at times), so they use one font and "color."

They have a big eye-catching graphic and a lot of band names, so they use one font and leave out detailed info.

They have an over-the-top over-produced graphic, so they stick with a few colors, a few fonts, and no details.

They have a picture which sets the tone and takes over the whole flyer, so they pick one color and one font.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Good examples Nate.

One of the thing I've appreciated about my band is that our guitarist also does graphic design for a major t-shirt company (one of the ones that supplies Sears, JC Penney, etc.) so his poster designs tend to reflect a good sense of marketing as well as decent designs that will fit a purpose.

Our next show is a $3 show, which is really cheap, so he made that one of the centerpieces of the flyer

About the only thing I'd say about that flyer (except for the fact that it doesn't attract me... but I'm probably not your target market) is that it's too "filled out." Compare it to all of the flyers I posted as examples. All of my examples have HUGE empty spaces on the flyer. Your flyer (and the thread-starter's flyers) have almost none. Empty space is invaluable to good graphic design. If you don't have it, the eye will get overwhelmed and unfocused, even if there is very little extra information or extrenuous font/color/graphic usage in the flyer. The empty space draws attention to the thing that takes up the most space.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Nate

About the only thing I'd say about that flyer (except for the fact that it doesn't attract me... but I'm probably not your target market) is that it's too "filled out." Compare it to all of the flyers I posted as examples. All of my examples have HUGE empty spaces on the flyer. Your flyer (and the thread-starter's flyers) have almost none. Empty space is invaluable to good graphic design. If you don't have it, the eye will get overwhelmed and unfocused, even if there is very little extra information or extrenuous font/color/graphic usage in the flyer. The empty space draws attention to the thing that takes up the most space.

Indeed. Our flyers tend to lack empty space simply because in general we don't make giant flyers. When we do, there's more emptiness to them, but most of ours end up on the web where load times and scrolling can become frustrating so they tend to stay compact

[Nate]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Indeed. Our flyers tend to lack empty space simply because in general we don't make giant flyers. When we do, there's more emptiness to them, but most of ours end up on the web where load times and scrolling can become frustrating so they tend to stay compact

I would say to cut-back on the information on the flyers then. Especially with the web as an advertising medium, if you just list your name, your selling point, and your website, you can attract visitors with a well-designed ad and then give them more information when they show up at your website. The same rules of good graphic design still apply, even on a condensed scale.

[Mara's Mom]

You sound so mean, Nate.

But he is giving you good advice.

The flyer with the big, purple face does its job most effectively, I think. Those guys lying on the beach look like idiots.

Space is never just a void. It is your friend.