Poster Design Workshop:Adobe Illustrator

March 21, 2012Catherine Tucker

Example Poster

Introduction

• This workshop will outline the basics of constructing a poster in Adobe Illustrator– Basics of Poster Making– Using Adobe Illustrator– Tips and Tricks

Basics of Poster Making

• Text– All text should be legible at a distance of 3 to 4 feet. Use at least a

24-point type size for the main text. The title type should be at least 1.5 inches high.

– The title should be kept as short as possible so that it can be read quickly.

– Use upper and lower case type throughout the poster. ALL UPPER CASE TYPE IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ.

– Serif fonts (such as Times New Roman) are generally easier to read in the body of the text. Sans serif fonts (such as Arial or Tahoma) are best used in titles, headings, and captions for emphasis.

– Print all text using a laser printer.– Use bold and/or italics for emphasis.

Basics of Poster Making

• Layout– Keep at least a 1-inch margin on all sides.– Layout should encourage the reader to “follow”

their way through the poster– Poster can be NO MORE THAN 40 INCHES TALL

Images

• Maps– Always use projections

vs.

– Map outlines for all countries and states are available for free through the Wikimedia Commons

Using Adobe Illustrator

• Creating a new poster– From the File menu, select New– In the dialog box that pops up, enter a name for

your poster, the width and height of your poster, and RGB Color.

Image and Text Courtesy of Tara Murray

Using Adobe Illustrator

• Toolbars– If you cannot see any of the tools needed, select View from the toolbarand check the tools needed. They will pop up in your window

Using Adobe Illustrator

• Placing text in your poster – To create a text box, click on the Type Tool and

then click and drag to draw a box on your poster.– You can type in your text box, or copy text from

another application (such as a word processor).

Image and Text Courtesy of Tara Murray

Using Adobe Illustrator• Layers– To select an object, click the circle to the right of its name.

The object and the circle will be highlighted in blue. – Click the eyeball icon next to the object to make it visible

or invisible. – Click the lock icon to lock or unlock an object. Locking

prevents an object from being moved or edited. For instance, locking the background will keep you from accidentally selecting and moving the background while you are arranging images on your poster.

Image and Text Courtesy of Tara Murray

Using Adobe Illustrator

• Saving as a PDF– From the File menu select Save as– Under Save as type, select Adobe PDF– This is the format needed for printing

Using Adobe Illustrator

• Graphs– Best to create in Excel

• Charts– Best to create in Word

• Import them as multiple elements– Allows you to change individual things within

Adobe Illustrator– Avoid pasting as a picture

*Remember to use the shift key when changing the size of your charts and graphs

Tips and Tricks: Design

• Alignment

• Guides

Tips and Tricks: Design

• Grouping

• Arranging

Tips and Tricks: Helpful Shortcuts

• Alt + center click– Zoom in and out

• Shift + left click– Select multiple items

• Ctrl + left click– Select one item in a group

• Ctrl + C• Ctrl + V

Common Troubleshooting

• Why can’t I select something?– Check to make sure that you have the arrow tool

selected• My Excel graph/Word chart isn’t pasting correctly– Make sure you’re using Excel 2008 or later. Select

the graph/chart you want to copy and use the ctrl+C and ctrl+V commands.

• All of my text isn’t showing up– Check for a red box at the bottom right of your

larger text box and adjust your font size

Printing Information

• Allow for at least one week to print your poster• Consider laminating your poster• Engineering Copy Center 101 Engineering Unit

A (campus map showing Engineering Units)863-1612

• Multimedia and Print Center Hostetter Building865-7544

Resources and Citations

• http://help.pop.psu.edu/publishing-and-research-methods/poster-design-tips

• http://help.pop.psu.edu/help-by-software-package/adobe-illustrator/handout-illus.pdf/view

• Thanks to Tara Murray and Greg O’Toole