Posters — or window bills — should be eye-catching and provide only the minimum necessary information. People will only read these in passing. Use bright colours (not necessarily fluorescent) and one eye-catching motif.

The poster should be attractive enough to stop people in their tracks, interesting enough to be read and inviting enough to get a response.

Get your message over in 5 lines if you can, but certainly no more than 8 lines. Include what you're advertising, where it takes place (don't assume everyone knows which street your church is in!) and when it's happening. Then say to people why they should want to go!

Graphics on posters are to be used sparingly. You may only need one large one, but it has to be a good one! The Christian Clip Art collection has many good images that would appeal to non-churchgoers as well as members. Buy the CD and you'll get the images in vector as well as bitmap formats. Don't worry if this means nothing to you (see our free guide to computer graphics for details). Just enlarge a bitmap picture (e.g. .PCX) and you'll see why we recommend vector pictures (e.g. .WMF and .CDR) for enlargement!

Give consideration to the size of the poster. A3 (Double US Letter) is about the biggest most shops will accept for display. Have a few A4 size/US Letter, just in case. Many shopkeepers might take a poster so as not to offend you, but really don't have the will to display it. Better they let you keep the poster! To overcome this, take some non-destructive sticky tape and Blu-Tak or similar and display it for them! The salesman's "alternative close" (Shall I put it in the door or in this window?) is better than asking a question to which the shopkeeper can say "no".

Handbills should be designed to look like the posters. They must obviously be from the same family and advertising the same event. But they should not simply be smaller copies of the posters. People get more time to read handbills. You can use graphics a bit more and put more information on them. Use all the information from the posters and add to it. You might even want to include a phone number.

Traditionally, handbills are A5 size. But why not try A6 for a change (if it doesn't make the print too small)? Alternatively take a sheet of A4 and make a Z-fold by placing two equidistant folds parallel to the short edge?