But that’s not all! We will also briefly look into how these formats are different from each other to understand which one works better for your brand. A little later, we will discuss some design tips to elevate your Canva poster and flyer designs to new heights of effectiveness. Get ready to make a statement and leave a lasting impression with your brand’s print advertising efforts!

Firstly, let’s explore the effectiveness of print advertising in the digital age.

Compelling reasons why print advertising is still worth your time and budget  

• Print ads provide a tangible experience. This can be a big difference from the usual in the digitally connected world. And this difference works in favor of your brand. 
• Data indicates that an impressive 82% of consumers place their trust in print ads when making purchasing decisions. In the realm of marketing, trust is paramount. Therefore, striking the perfect balance between digital and print ads is essential to establish and nurture this trust.
• Studies have revealed that processing print ads demands 21% less cognitive effort. So, if you are all in for simplifying customer experience, print ads are just what you need. 
• Print ads are cost-effective ways to strengthen your local marketing efforts. Newspaper ads, billboards placed in the right spot, posters in high-traffic areas, and flyers handed out to the right audience segment are all quick and easy ways to get your brand closer to the relevant audience. 
• When comparing print ads to their digital counterparts, one notable advantage is the longevity of print. Surprisingly, this aspect is often overlooked. Consider flyers as an example. Yes, they may end up being discarded, but isn’t that similar to the phenomenon of banner blindness where digital ads are swiftly scrolled away from? The difference lies in those fleeting moments when customers actually hold a flyer in their hands. If the flyer boasts compelling visuals and is printed on quality paper, it has the potential to leave a lasting impression. In fact, customers might even hold onto the flyer and revisit it later.

Before we talk about Canva poster and flyer designs let’s quickly look at how these two formats are different. 

Posters vs. flyers – choosing the right format for your brand 

There are plenty of templates on Canva for both flyers and posters. But do you need both for your brand? To answer this question, let’s examine the differences. 

Posters	Flyers
Suitable for public display	Perfect for distribution
Help create awareness	Help delve into the details
Minimal text in most cases	Should be of impeccable quality for the best tangible experience
Need to create impact from a distance	Directly handed out to the target audience
Posted in prominent heavy-traffic locations	Directly handed out to target audience

As you can see, in brand marketing, both posters and flyers hold their own significance depending on the occasion. For instance, if you aim to increase awareness about your store’s presence in a shopping mall, strategically placed posters would be essential. On the other hand, if you want customers visiting your stores to be informed about a referral program or loyalty program, distributing flyers directly to them would be more effective.

In essence, the key to successful print advertising lies in investing in the right format at the right time for the right purpose in the right location. 

Now that we have covered the fundamentals, let’s delve into some design tips to help you get started.

Canva posters – tips to perfect your designs 

To understand the design aspects of brand posters we’ll look into the most popular occasions where these are used. 

Store opening 

Whether you are opening a new store, a new outlet in a different location, or reopening after a brief period of closure for renovation, you need to let people know that you are open or opening soon. 

In such cases, you need to ensure the following design details:

• A bold design – subtle messaging does not work here. You need to go for that statement look. Fancy fonts that do not compromise legibility make this possible. Notice how most of the Canva poster templates make use of big bold fonts for the hero text that announces the opening. Canva’s font sets make it easier to find the right complementary font for the bold hero font. 

• Visuals that draw attention – people are drawn to attractive photos and using the right ones ensures that your message is clear at first glance. With Canva Pro you can access a large library of stock images or you can also upload your own photos for better impact. 
• Date details – a coming soon poster that teases the big day can create anticipation in the pre-marketing phase. Remember to swap it with one that announces the date of opening a few days in advance. 
• Directional information – the most important detail in your poster will be the location information and directions on how to get there. If your poster is placed in an accessible location, a QR code containing the map location will make things even simpler. Besides you are bridging the gap between digital and print when you convince customers to scan the QR code. 

KIMP Tip: 

Strongly establishing your brand identity is crucial in a store opening poster. Because for a new business introducing itself this first impression can be huge. And for existing businesses announcing their new location, their brand recognition needs to be achieved. 

Event announcement posters 

Is there a trade show coming up? Or perhaps your store is hosting a Christmas event? You will find posters to be useful aids in communicating this message. 

In such cases, you need to ensure the following design details:

• Emphasis on the theme – every event needs a theme. Capture this theme accurately when you create the Canva poster. The below templates for Christmas event posters, for example, capture the theme through colors, imagery, and design accents. 

• Draw attention to the focal point – what’s the highlight of the event? Is it the exclusive gifts and freebies that participants walk home with? Or is it a celebrity host for the event? Ask what is in it for the target audience. And use visuals and clear copy to attract attention to this detail. The below Canva poster template, for example, puts the focal point namely “free drinks for ladies” at the front and center of the design. And the image that goes with it clearly conveys the idea. 

• Hierarchical establishment of the CTA – should customers buy tickets right away? Or do they make reservations online? Ensure that the CTA stands out in the Canva poster you design. In the case of website links for online registration, again, a scannable QR code simplifies things.  

KIMP Tip: 

Aim for a clutter-free design. And once you have shortlisted all the critical details in the poster, use ample negative space around these so that people don’t miss them. Use Canva’s rulers and guides to accurately align elements so that you add space without affecting the visual balance in the design. 

Finding it overwhelming to keep up with the editing features on Canva? Work with a team of professional Canva designers. 

Safety posters for stores and offices 

These include workplace safety posters or safety posters to place at important locations in the stores. Evidently, these will be on display all the time. So, you need visually appealing on-brand designs that deliver the core message without confusion. 

In such cases, you need to ensure the following design details:

• The right colors – your brand colors hold a special place because these posters are always there in your store. And therefore they need to be a visual reminder of your brand. However, you also need attention-grabbing colors like yellow, orange, and red which are often used in safety posters. 
• The right visual elements – understand universal hazard symbols like generic caution, high voltage warning, and so on. Adding these to your design on Canva is as simple as keying in the search term when you edit your design. 

• Illustrations – illustrated icons and custom illustrated elements help visually convey the essential details more clearly and even from a distance. They are also handy when there are people in your audience group who might not understand the language that the poster is in. And for safety posters, communicating beyond language barriers is a requisite. 

Need help creating custom illustrations to use across your marketing designs or illustrated icons signature to your brand? Get a KIMP Graphics subscription! 

Canva flyers – tips to create memorable print assets 

Now that we’ve discussed the role of posters in marketing and explored how to create them using Canva, let’s shift our focus to brand flyers. 

Before we talk about the design tips we would like to highlight the fact that flyers feel as relevant as brand posters in the occasions we discussed just now, like store opening, event marketing, and building safety awareness. The difference is that you can add a lot more information than you would on a poster because people hold onto flyers. So, it helps if there is useful information in it for them. 

Furthermore, while your poster is put on display only one side is visible but both sides can contain information on a flyer that customers hold in their hands. This extra space means that you can organize your information in a more interactive manner with flyers. 

With that in mind, let’s talk about some more applications and occasions for branded flyers and Canva tips to make the most of your designs. 

Product launch 

When there is a new product about to be launched or launched recently, you might find flyers to be useful tools in creating awareness about the product. 

• Product image – as evident as it sounds this should take center stage. Ensure that you have professionally captured product photos to go in the flyer. You can also use a combination of images that show the product from various angles and some lifestyle shots to give a sense of what the product does. Observe how the trending Canva flyer templates strategically emphasize the product photo, making it the focal point of attention.

• Message clarity – are you talking about a new product being launched or is it an upgraded version of an existing product? Or perhaps a whole new collection? Use a crisp copy to communicate this. 
• Focus on USP – the unique selling point is what makes the product worth the target audience’s attention. It tells them how the new product solves their problem or how it is different from similar products in the market. Using proper visual hierarchy, draw attention to this USP of the product to convince customers to check it out. 

Service offerings

For service-based businesses, flyers detailing the service offerings are handy add-ons to their marketing strategy. 

Here are some essential details to include: 

• A clear visual theme – the below assortment of Canva flyer templates for service offerings is a good example to show that these templates are a great source of inspiration when you are struggling with the visual theme. Notice how the babysitting service template uses vibrant colors and playful illustrations while the dental clinic services template keeps it more professional. Depending on your business niche and the audience you cater to, identify the right visual theme to make a strong first impression. 

• Brief service description – provide a concise service description that highlights the key points. Crisp lists are a much better option than long paragraphs. Use a legible point for such wordy sections in the flyer. Canva lets you browse from its font library or add your own as well. 
• Visuals – visuals or illustrations that go with every service or aspect of service will make the flyer more engaging. 

Loyalty and referral programs 

For marketing strategies like loyalty and referral programs, you need direct marketing, and flyers make a great choice. Because you need to provide customers with all the information required to convince them to sign up for the membership or to bring in new customers. 

When designing flyers for loyalty programs, here are a few things to include: 

• Price information for loyalty programs– this can be a deciding factor in many cases. So make it stand out. 
• Exclusive benefits – the value proposition in terms of the continuous savings customers can make or the free gifts and discounts they get upon signing up for a membership or inviting new customers is an essential detail in the flyer. In the below Canva flyer template for a referral program, the price detail is added in bold so as to attract immediate attention. 

• Contact details – the phone number or email where customers can reach you in case they have questions should be added in a prominent location. Use fonts with good line weight so that it’s not difficult to read the numbers and text. 
• Terms & conditions – if there are any that customers should know about before signing up, make them visible. Do not hide them in plain sight by using fine print for this section. Because the legibility and visibility of your terms and conditions section speak volumes about your business’s transparency.

In addition to these standard flyer types, you might also find tear-off flyers to be useful in several cases for service-based businesses. Because they make it easier to share your business contact details. Canva also has a whole lot of tear-off flyer templates for such occasions. 

Elevate your Canva flyer and poster designs with KIMP 

These are just a handful of examples to show where you can use business posters and flyers in marketing. There truly is no limit to how you can use them to promote your business, build awareness or even deliver a personalized message. 

Canva offers a wide range of flyer and poster templates that make it easy to find inspiration. However, the real challenge lies in customizing these templates and infusing them with your brand’s unique style. This is where a team of Canva designers can provide valuable assistance. By collaborating with skilled designers, you can save time and concentrate on other promotional activities while ensuring your posters and flyers perfectly reflect your brand.

Want to know more about working with Canva designers to create the best marketing designs for your business? Book a call with the KIMP team today.