Help me design a poster!

[Zizzykitty]

We seem to be having a lot of help and opinions threads lately.
Well I need help now.

I'm designing a poster for two of my friends, they're dancers and were recently fired so they asked me if I could design a poster for them to advertise with to get lessons.
I agreed thinking, "okay, how hard could it be to design a simple poster?"
It's harder than I thought once I realized, I'm a traditional artist, not a graphic one. I would be able to go buy a poster board and design it but I'm having trouble doing it on the computer.

Right now, I just need ideas.
What would attract your attention? What should it say on it to make you want to take dance lessons? What colors and art would grab you on it?

The only things right now I've got for sure on it, are a couple pictures of them, their contact information, and that it's great for weddings, Quinceñeras, business events, sweet 16's, and birthday parties. (I'm still editing the pictures and deciding which ones specifically to use but once I'm done I can post them if that would help)  

[Moonlight_HuangHou]

Wow! Zizzy looks different!

Well first...what kind of dancing are they into or do? ^_^  

[0Moon_Maiden0]

Hmmm....brighter colors would catch my attention and perhaps you could use a silhouette of a pair of dancers (or it cold be of them).

Probably want to try and keep it somewhat simple and no so cluttered either.  

[Zizzykitty]

Oh, I totally forgot to tell you guys what kind of dancing it was. It's ballroom.

Thanks Moon, I'm just trying to decide right now the balance between good simple and boring simple. I definitely don't want it to be cluttered but what I had at the point of making the thread yesterday was much, much, much too simple.

A sillhouette is a great idea. I have a friend that knows how to take a picture and make the person a silhouette too like in the iPod ads so I can ask her to help me do that with one of their pictures.  

[Moonlight_HuangHou]

Moon has a good idea there.
I was going to say you should defiantly have a pic on it. Maybe the name of their school or them in the middle or top.
Maybe a pic in the middle and the name on top part of poster. Then around the sides advertisement like "Ball room dancing". "____ this much experience."  

[Zizzykitty]

Well that's their problem. They don't have a school. That's why I need to help them advertise. If they had a school, they were working in a studio before, then they would be able to just keep teaching there and not worry about getting more lessons.

Maybe I should ask them how much experience they have though, I know they have years atleast.

I'd put their names across the top of the poster but they won't get anyone like that. They aren't well known ballroom dancers or anything like that, since when I was talking to them that was brought up. xd  

[Moonlight_HuangHou]

Oh I see! Well how about....making up a name? they want to teach people to dance right? They should make up a name and get a location first perhaps. So that way you can at least place down contact and location information for lessons.
Years of experience and all the types of dancing styles they can teach would be a good idea.
^__^  

[Zizzykitty]

They aren't starting their own studio though. I think a name would matter more if they would use it but they're pretty much freelancing.

I asked them if they wanted me to put all the names of the dances on the poster but they said just put on what it would be good for. I'll have to ask the girl if she still teaches ballet but I agree it would be good to put the specific kinds of dances like salsa, waltz, etc.

I'll have to call them and ask location too. I think they're teaching a a different studio now, like renting the space or something. I heard them say something about possibly making house calls too though to teach in people's homes. I'll ask them all that.

I definitely have contact info though. 3nodding
They gave me phone numbers and an e-mail address.  

[Moonlight_HuangHou]

How's the poster coming along? ^_^  

[Zizzykitty]

I got sick of working on their pictures so I took a break from it. sweatdrop

I plan on working on it again next week now that I have a lot of good ideas though. 3nodding  

[0Doidle0]

People won't read a long worded poster
make it short, sweet, and simple
google dance for pose Ideas

 

[Zizzykitty]

Yeah. I'm trying to do just that, I'm just trying to find the right way to say it and the right way to present it.

I tend to be a rambler so I'm having to make sure what I'm saying is concise enough someone can get the idea and read it at a glance.

I do have plenty of pictures of them in dance poses though. That is the one thing I am not lacking. I just have to photoshop them to give them a cleaner background since it was just in my house we took the pictures and the only blank wall in my house isn't that big so I must photoshop out a hallway and the front door where the wall cuts off, thus why I am sick of looking at them since the lighting is uneven so it takes anywhere between 45minutes to an hour and a half to get each one perfect.