Layout 21 - Two Common Posters
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In this tutorial, we'll learn how to create two simple and effective poster layouts using Adobe InDesign. Both layouts share the same grid system, making them versatile for different poster sizes. We'll use an 18x24 inch poster size as an example, but these techniques can be applied to other common sizes like 11x17 and 24x36.
Document Setup
Open Adobe InDesign.
Create a new document with the following settings:
Size: 18x24 inches
Orientation: Portrait
Margins: 1 inch (adjust to 0.5 inches for smaller posters like 11x17)
Bleed: 0.125 inches (Very important for full bleed images, make sure you include this)
Creating the Grid
Go to Layout > Create Guides
Set the guides to:
Rows: 5
Columns: 2
Gutter: 0.25 inches
Poster Layout 1: Central Image with Text
Step 1: Adding the Main Image
Select the rectangular frame tool (F).
Drag a frame from the second grid row down to the bottom of the page.
We want this to cover 4/5 of the gridlines.
Place your image into the frame.
I did this by simply dragging and dropping the image in.
Make sure you have the frame tool selected when doing this.
Right-click the image and select Fitting > Fit Frame Proportionally
To round the corners, select the frame, go to Object > Corner Options, and set a rounded corner
In this video we use 0.375” as the corner radius, but you’ll need to adjust depending on page size and what you’re going for.
It’s important to remember this number because we want to be consistent with our corner radii.
Step 2: Adding the Title
Now we will populate the remaining 1/5 of the page.
Use the Type tool (T) to create a text box at the top of the page.
Populate the textbox with your preferred font and size.
Here I use 72 pt and choose Futura as my font family.
Type your title text.
Step 3: Adding the Body Text
Create another text box below the title.
Type your body text.
If the body text is big, break it up into 3 different columns so people don’t get tired reading the block of text.
To do this: Right-click the text box, select Text Frame Options, and set the number of columns to 3.
Step 4: Adding Color Strips
Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create strips of color.
We want this to be a “what kind of color did we use to create this poster” feature
Sample colors from the main image to ensure harmony.
Use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to sample prominent colors from the image.
Apply rounded corners to the strips as before.
Position the strips to separate different sections of text and image for visual appeal.
Step 5: Rounding Everything Off
Use the Text Tool (T) to create a text box.
Here I put in an important date, but other things can be names, issuance number, location, people of interest, etc.
Go into Text Frame Options as reference to in Step 3 and change the inset spacing so that the text ends up in the middle.
Make sure the text box is center aligned.
Change the fill of the text box to the same as the title (black) and the stroke to “none”.
Give it the same Corner Options treatment as Step 1.
Poster Layout 2: Full-Bleed Image with Overlay Text
Step 1: Adding the Full-Bleed Image
Create a rectangular frame that covers the entire page from bleed mark to bleed mark.
Remember, any time we are doing anything full-bleed we have to drag the image out to the bleed mark.
Place your image into the frame.
Right-click the image and Fit Frame Proportionally.
Create two layers: one for the image and one for the text. Lock the image layer.
If you don’t have the Layers Panel, go into Window > Layers.
Step 2: Adding the Title
Create a text box at the top of the page for the title.
Set your desired font and size.
Adjust the tracking (e.g., 100) to give the text more presence.
Here I actually gave 100pt to tracking for both the title and the subheading.
Step 3: Adding the Subheading and Date Element
Create a text box for the subheading below the title.
Format the text similarly to the title.
Create another text box for the date or other relevant information.
It was very simple to just copy and paste this element from the first poster, but if you’re only making this layout please refer to Poster 1 Step 5 to do this.
Change the background color of this text box to match your design, here we used a transparent box by selecting “none” in the fill panel.
We also changed the stroke to white with a 2 point weight.
Apply rounded corners to the text box to maintain consistency.
Refer to Layout 1 Step 1 for this.
Step 4: Adding Lines for Emphasis
Use the Line Tool (\) to create lines above and below the title.
Set the stroke to white (paper color) and adjust the thickness (e.g., 3 points).
Position the lines to frame the title text for emphasis.
Here we are placing one above and one below the title.
Step 5: Enhancing Text Readability
If the text isn't readable against the image, create a rectangle with the rectangle tool (M) covering the entire page.
Make sure the rectangle’s fill color is whatever is needed in order to make your text become more legible.
Here I used a black fill since my characters were white.
Make sure that the layers of the elements are correct so you can see all the elements. If you can’t make sure to right click > arrange > send to back to adjust.
Adjust the opacity to around 35% and apply a gradient feather (Shift+G) to darken only the areas behind the text.
Step 6: Final Text Box
Create a text box at the bottom of the page for any additional information.
Center-justify the text and format it to match the rest of the design.
Ensure the text box aligns with the bottom margin.
