# Day-22 — Flyers & Posters

- **Day:** Day-22
- **Module:** M07 — Print Design
- **Duration:** 180 minutes (3 hours)
- **Level:** Intermediate
- **Instructor:** Ali Akbar Shah
- **Primary tool:** CorelDRAW (free alternative: Inkscape — notes where relevant)

---

## 1. Introduction — Why Flyers Still Work

A flyer is a single printed page with one job: make a stranger stop, read, and
act — visit, call, buy, or attend. Posters do the same job bigger, usually on a
wall, read from 2–3 meters away. Restaurants, coaching centers, sale events,
mosques announcing programs — all still use them, because a well-designed flyer
in the right hand beats a social media post nobody sees.

Yesterday you learned print basics on a tiny card. Today the same rules scale
up: an **A5 flyer (148 × 210 mm + bleed)**, a clear message hierarchy
(headline → offer → details → call to action), and **two exports** — a
print-ready PDF for the print shop and a JPG for WhatsApp and social media.

## 2. Key Concepts in Simple Terms

### 2.1 A5 with bleed: 154 × 216 mm
- A5 = **148 × 210 mm** (half of A4). With 3 mm bleed on each side, set your
  page to **154 × 216 mm**.
- Same rule as cards: backgrounds to the bleed edge, text inside a safe area
  (5–8 mm inside trim on a flyer — give big layouts a little more room).

### 2.2 The 3-second test
- A flyer gets about **3 seconds** of attention. In those 3 seconds the reader
  must grasp: WHAT is this, WHO is it for, and WHAT should I do.
- If your headline cannot be read from arm's length, the flyer fails — no
  matter how beautiful it is.

### 2.3 Message hierarchy: Headline → Offer → Details → CTA
1. **Headline** — the biggest text. One promise or one announcement.
   ("Grand Opening — 20% Off Everything")
2. **Offer / visual** — the deal or the hero image that proves it.
3. **Details** — date, time, place, price — short lines, easy to scan.
4. **CTA (Call to Action)** — one clear instruction: "Call now", "Visit
   today", "Scan to register". One CTA, not three.

### 2.4 Flyer vs. poster layout
- **Flyer (A5):** read in the hand, ~30 cm away. Headline 36–72 pt, body 10–12
  pt. Can carry more detail.
- **Poster (A3/A2):** read on a wall, meters away. Headline huge (100+ pt),
  minimal text. Fewer words, bigger type, stronger image.
- Same design can be adapted — but never just "enlarge the flyer"; re-balance
  type sizes for the viewing distance.

### 2.5 One flyer, two outputs
- **Print PDF** (PDF/X preset, CMYK, bleed) → goes to the print shop.
- **Digital JPG** (File > Export, sRGB-friendly, 150–300 dpi) → goes to
  WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook.
- Design once in CMYK, export twice. Check the JPG on your phone before
  sending — small text that is fine in print can be unreadable on a phone
  screen.

### 2.6 Images at 300 dpi (again, bigger stakes)
- A blurry hero photo ruins an A5 flyer faster than anything. At 300 dpi, an
  A5 full-bleed photo needs roughly **1748 × 2480 px**. Check with Bitmaps >
  Resample after import.

## 3. Worked Demonstration — "Crumb & Craft" Grand Opening Flyer

Client (fictional): **Crumb & Craft bakery** announces its grand opening.

**Layout (A5 portrait, 154 × 216 mm page):**
1. Full-bleed warm brown background (C:35 M:65 Y:90 K:25).
2. Top third: hero photo of fresh bread (300 dpi, full-bleed to top edge),
   slightly darkened with a transparent brown rectangle over it so text reads.
3. **Headline** (white, bold serif, 54 pt): "GRAND OPENING" — centered, top
   area, readable from arm's length.
4. **Offer** (gold, 28 pt bold): "20% OFF Everything — Opening Weekend".
5. **Details** (cream, 11 pt, centered, short lines):
   "Sat–Sun, 10 AM – 8 PM · 12 Baker Street, Lahore"
6. **CTA**: a cream rounded rectangle button with brown text, 14 pt bold:
   "Visit Us This Weekend". One CTA only.
7. Bottom strip: small logo + phone + Instagram handle, 8 pt.
8. Safe check: all text 8 mm inside trim; background reaches bleed on all
   sides.

**Reading order test:** headline → offer → details → button. Four stops, three
seconds.

## 4. Design Principles Applied

- **Hierarchy:** 54 pt → 28 pt → 11 pt → button. Size = importance.
- **Contrast:** white and gold on dark brown — readable at a glance.
- **Alignment:** everything centered on one vertical axis; details in one neat
  block.
- **Proximity:** date/time/place grouped as one "event block".
- **Focal point:** the hero photo + headline share the top third — one visual
  entry point, not five.
- **Simplicity:** one offer, one CTA. A flyer that says everything says
  nothing.

## 5. Common Mistakes and Fixes

| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Headline too small | Fails the 3-second test | Headline 36–72 pt on A5; test at arm's length |
| Three different CTAs | Reader does nothing | One CTA — call, visit, or scan |
| Paragraphs of tiny text | Nobody reads it | Short lines, 10–12 pt minimum, bullet style |
| Low-res hero photo | Blurry = unprofessional | 300 dpi at print size; check Bitmaps > Resample |
| Text over busy photo with no overlay | Unreadable | Dark/light transparent shape behind text |
| RGB-only design | Colors shift in print | Design in CMYK; export JPG copy for digital |
| No safe margin | Text nearly cut | 5–8 mm safe area on flyers |
| Forgetting the digital version | Client asks "send me for WhatsApp" | Always export JPG alongside the print PDF |

## 6. Summary

- A5 flyer = **148 × 210 mm**; work at **154 × 216 mm** with 3 mm bleed.
- Message order: **headline → offer → details → one CTA**.
- Design for the viewing distance: hand (flyer) vs. wall (poster).
- Two exports from one design: **print PDF (PDF/X, CMYK, bleed)** + **digital
  JPG (for phone/social)**.
- Photos at 300 dpi; text never over busy images without an overlay.
- Next: Day-23 — Brochures, Letterheads & Print-Ready PDF (multi-panel print
  and the full preflight checklist).

---
*If a stranger cannot get it in 3 seconds, redesign the headline.*