Photography vs. Illustration

Although both have their place in posters, sometimes it can be a tough call which to use. The size of the poster/flyer and its placement are factors, and so is the kind of event you are promoting. College party promoters usually use pictures of women; they appeal to a very wide audience and easily catch your eye. We’ve all seen the flyers for different sponsored and themed parties like Ride Dat Wave or the Naughty or Nice party: they feature heavily on neon letters and Photoshopped, half-naked and oftentimes ridiculously costumed young ladies, (had to get my Disapproving Grandma on for a second there). You’ve probably also seen posters that utilize photo collage or a photo as the entire background. Unfortunately because so many product ads feature photos instead of illustration or abstract design, they can easily get lost in the shuffle. Illustrations are my favorite type of poster design–they can say and do basically anything, are more emotive at first glance than most photos, and are more engaging; I think that illustrations pop out instead of showing a window in like with photography.  However, there are some events that just would not benefit from an illustrated poster, like a black-tie history museum opening–or a a photography exhibit. Here are some different examples, found mostly on trusty GigPosters.com and trustier Google; let me know what you think.