Why make an abstract poster ?

It is standard to think that a poster should be very simple, show an event directly and have a typography. What if we destroyed all these ideas, if we only used the design and the colours to highlight a project or an object? You will probably say that it is no longer a poster, that it will be incomprehensible to the public, but think again. It has a real impact. Have you ever felt uneasy in front of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”? Those few lines gave you the shivers, so why shouldn’t we feel the same way in front of a poster?

So she will remember more the abstract poster that made her feel something than the other poster using explicit information. The abstract leaves a trace in our subconscious. It is therefore easier to seduce and perplex the public with this art. What is relevant about abstract art is that there can be an effect of movement that is stronger than in a banal poster. In a painting, you can see what the lines mean, how the brush was handled for example. In digital design, it is up to you to imagine the direction of each line, so the effect of movement will be all the more present and the public will stay longer on the poster. The symbolism of the colours is then even more pronounced because of the space they occupy and the shape they take.

2. But then the emotion felt varies according to the person ?  

As human beings we all have a basis on which we can build emotionally. For example, seeing a kitten triggers a feeling of affection for this animal that we don’t know, or even a feeling of tenderness. So we all have something in common in the way we feel, even though we are all different.

When our eyes fall on an abstract image, our brain is somewhere trying to give it a shape or even a message, the person’s attention is then absorbed, the primary purpose of a poster is achieved. Afterwards, the person can look for the name of the company that made it or move on. In the first case, the company will have gained visibility, in the second case, it will still have touched that person. For a poster that respects the “norms” the possibility that the person will not be interested in it or will forget that it even exists is much greater.

3. The abstract freezes time

An abstract poster does not tend towards ease of reading, but towards the ability to hold attention and freeze time for a few seconds. Finally, it can create a story, an evolution, for example during an advertising campaign, one can start by making abstract posters and end up with concrete ones, thus creating a message that takes shape over time.

In summary

To sum up, an emotion is a temporary affective reaction of varying intensity. It occurs in reaction to a triggering event, which remains in the unconscious. The trigger is your poster. Make the emotions stronger and attract more people with the abstract.