POSTER

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface.
Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either
wholly graphical or wholly textual. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and convey
information. Posters may be used for many purposes, and they are a frequent tool of
advertisers (particularly of events, musicians and films), propagandists, protestors and other
groups trying to communicate a message. Posters are also used for reproductions of artwork,
particularly famous works, and are generally low-cost compared to original artwork. Another
type of poster are educational posters, which may be about a particular subject for
educational purposes. Many people also collect posters, and some famous posters have
themselves become quite valuable, collectors and vintage posters are usually framed and
matted. Posters may be any size.

Types of poster

Advertising posters
Many posters, particularly early posters, were used for advertising products. Posters continue
to be used for this purpose, with posters advertising films, music (both concerts and recorded
albums), comic books, and travel destinations being particularly notable examples.

Film posters
Main article: Film poster
The film industry quickly discovered that vibrantly coloured posters were an easy way to sell
their pictures. Today, posters are produced for most major films, and the collecting of movie
posters has become a major hobby. The most valuable poster in the world, of which there is
only 1 known copy, is the 1931 stone litho Frankenstein 6-sheet.[citation needed]

Comic book posters

The resurgence of comic book popularity in the 1960s led to the mass production of comic
book posters in the 1970s and onward. These posters typically feature popular characters in a
variety of action poses. The fact that comic books are a niche market means that a given
poster usually has a smaller printing run than other genres of poster. Therefore, older posters
may be quite sought after by collectors. Promotional posters are usually distributed folded,
whereas retail posters intended for home decoration are rolled.

Railway posters
In the early days of steam railways in Britain, the various rail companies advertised their
routes and services on simple printed sheets. By the 1850’s, with increasing competition and
improvements in printing technology, pictorial designs were being incorporated in their
advertising posters. The use of graphic artists began to influence the design of the pictorial
poster. In 1905, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) commissioned Norman
Wilkinson to produce artwork for a new landscape poster, advertising their rail/steam packet
link to Ireland. In 1908, for the Great Northern Railway (GNR), John Hassall produced the
famous image of the 'Jolly Fisherman' with the ‘Skegness is so Bracing’ slogan. The
development of this commercial art form throughout the first half of the 20th century
reflected the changes in British society, along with the changing styles of art, architecture and
fashion as well as changing patterns of holidaymaking.

Event posters
Posters advertising events have become common. Any sort of public event, from a rally to a
play, may be advertised with posters; a few types of events have become notable for their
poster advertisements. Posters are common because this can be hung around places where
people go.

Boxing posters
Boxing Posters were used in and around the actual venue to advertise the forthcoming fight,
date, ticket prices, and usually consisted of pictures of each boxer. Boxing Posters vary in
size and vibrancy, but are not usually smaller than 18x22 inches. In the early days few boxing
posters survived the actual event and thus they are indeed very collectible and scarce.

Concert posters
Many concerts, particularly rock concerts, have custom-designed posters that are used for
advertisement of the event. These often become collector’s items as well.