I would like to show you how to make a poster to promote your band or upcoming gig by using free software available on the internet. Using these techniques you will be able to obtain professional graphic results. First of all, you will need to acquire and organize your information that you will be placing on your band poster. Obtain the name of the gig, the names of the bands that will be playing, the location, time, and admission fees and any kind of age restrictions.
For the design of the poster, start with getting a feel for the design of band posters by Googling “band posters”. See what you like, but try to focus on a simple and bold design. Try to incorporate colours, simple images, and emulate the theme of the gig. For example, if it’s a hard rock gig, consider a deserted factory theme, or a vintage car look, or a rebellious pose of the band. Remember to use simplicity in your poster design as this will be more of an eye catcher than a complicated layout or theme.
Once you decided on a poster design, you have to decide on the software that you will use to make the band poster. Consider using Inkscape or Gimp. Both are free open source software available for download on the internet. I am sure I don’t have to tell you how to download free software, but for the readers who are from my era, Google “Inkscape download” or “Gimp download” and follow the links. I recommend you use Inkscape first and then finish final editing in Gimp, if warranted. Inkscape is much better for layout and design as it allows easy manipulation of images and text. It is comparable to Corel Draw, an expensive but powerful software. Gimp is an image editing program, and is more suitable for editing images. » Read more: How to Make a Poster When Promoting a Music Gig
