Music Funding 101
Posters
Posters are a different animal from shirts and banners. Fans have no need for posters by themselves (unlike shirts, which are often worn just because a shirt is needed,) and posters are not big enough to display across an audience like banners in clubs are. But posters can go in retail windows and outside on club walls. The thing posters can do well is display the time and date of the next show in places where people will be standing who need to know such information. And of course, the posters must make the sponsor name visible along side the band's art. Plus, posters usually have a strong photographic character to them; much more than shirts or banners. The posters need to have proper design which will show the essence of the band and which will display the name of the sponsor in a non-corny way. They can announce the time and date of the next show (and be update-able) and hopefully still be something that fans will want to buy, or at least want to pin up if they get it for free.
The time-and-date requirement is taken care of by a blank white section at the bottom of the poster (about four to five inches high) that you write on with a big black marker. When you order the posters, tell the printer that you want this area completely white, and you can also order some extra white sections which can be taped over this area so you can update the poster with new show info each week.
The graphic or picture of the band needs to be creative, but it also needs the band name to be able to be read from across the street. Remember that a lot of posters go in store windows and outside on club walls. People walking and driving by need to be able to see the band name easily. Six inch high lettering should do it. Other than that, the band can be as creative as it wants because the poster needs to be cool enough so fans will want to buy it, or at least pin it up at home if they get it for free.
The sponsor's name can be much smaller, and the wording does not need to be nearly as creative as it does on banners, or even t-shirts. Since posters have so much room for color and band creativity, it's ok to put "brought to you by John Doe and Sons Tractors" in small (half-inch high lettering) in the corner, probably in a white section. More creative ways of displaying the sponsor are OK, but you don't want the sponsor's name blending in with the art of the band. I still hold, however, that you don't ever use the word "sponsored" anywhere on your marketing items that the public sees or hears.
Posters can be as small as 18 x 24 inches, but 24 x 36 are more suitable because of the need for the time-and-date section and also the large band-name lettering. Larger than this becomes a problem because window space is limited and you wouldn't be able to put up as many (if any) in retail locations. As far as quantity, remember that in marketing it's the quantity first and the creativity second. This means that you spend your money first to get enough posters to go up everywhere, then you spend more money (if you have it) to make the posters more beautiful. But the most important function of the poster is getting the band name in front of eyeballs that are walking and driving down the street; this does not take a super creative approach. Use TalentFunding.com to find bands or sponsors that have the same concept of posters as you do.
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