Producing printed material

Whether you're producing a flyer, a poster, advertisements or a billboard, you'll be

liaising with designers and printers. They may use unfamiliar technical jargon so don't be

afraid to ask questions.

Different people absorb information in different ways. There's a lot of truth in the saying

that a picture speaks a thousand words. All images that you use to promote your arts

event, from your flyer to the photos you provide to the media, should be eye catching,

consistent and of good quality.

With an exhibition, being there is everything and reproducing artworks in brochures and

flyers is never going to make up for seeing the real thing. However, brochures and flyers

are necessary promotional tools and if you do use artwork make sure you get the best 

quality reproductions you can afford. Remember there are strict rules about reproducing

art and you need to take great care not to alter colours, crop the work or make any other

changes without the permission of the copyright holder (in New Zealand, it's usually the

artist   or a trust or owner of the work if the artist is dead).

Some advertising campaigns are designed to  tease  their audience. A large promotional

budget is required if this approach is to be effective. It also risks alienating people or

making them indifferent. With limited resources, get to the point quickly and effectively. 

A good way to get an early start on your promotional campaign is to release advance

information to select target groups. For example, when you're promoting a new dance

work you may be able to piggyback on a dance organisation's mail out to dance

enthusiasts. Your flyers aren't ready yet so insert a photocopied slip of paper, outlining

the choreographer's plans for the season and how to get more information. This group is

less likely to judge the low quality photocopy than someone unfamiliar with the dance

scene. The advance information gives them a feeling of  being in the know . 

Similarly, if you're promoting a new play by a Maori or Pacific theatre company, you

could utilise local iwi networks or a local festival and give that audience early notice.

4

Content and information

A poster should communicate the four Ws   who, what, when, where   and may need a

tag line. It should also say how to get a ticket, the ticket prices and any transaction fees.

Make sure you meet any obligations such as crediting writers and sponsors/funders, and

include any necessary logos.

DON'T

Information on how to get a ticket is not so important for an exhibition because most

GET TOO

people expect to buy a ticket at the door. Don't waste precious space on posters and

CLEVER

flyers telling people the obvious. They do, however, need the same who, what, when and

where information as a performing arts event.

Tag lines can be useful,

especially if the nature of

Think about how each promotional medium works. A poster that people drive past needs

the work is not clear from

to make an impact in about three seconds.

the title. Remember that a

tag line is there to explain,

A flyer can carry more detailed information than a poster can because people are more

not to make it obscure, so

likely to read something in their hand than something stuck on a pole. If you can afford

don't get too clever with it.

it, consider double siding your flyer to include additional information. 

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Smart arts

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