Hurricane Katrina benefit: newbie needs help with poster design

[Newbie]

For a Hurricane Katrina aid event on a very short notice (a world-
famous artist will be in town and has agreed to perform), it falls on a
couple of newbies (who have only composed letters) to design a 11X17
full-color poster to be printed at Kinko's or equivalent in a few days.
People will forgive us if we botch it, but we do want to do a respectable job.

We have a mac, MS word, a file of artists' photograph. Other than
that we are out of our depth here! This is an urgent appeal to all
experts to help us decide basic design: the colors, fonts and sizes,
etc.

Here is the general structure of the text:

--------------11x17 Color Poster Begins--------

IN AID OF HURRICANE KATRINA SURVIVORS

XY1 Foundation and YZ2 Academy present

Flute Maestro
<Main Artist>

[Photo goes here? See a question about photo later]

with <disciple1> (flute) & <disciple2> (flute)

Day, Date, Time

Guests expected to attend include <governor, senator, etc>.

<Venue name> is located at <address>. For directions, and to purchase
tickets online, please visit <website>.

TICKETS are VIP, <price list> and will be available at the Box Office
(<phone#>). For VIP seating, and donating to aid Hurricane Katrina
survivors, please contact <Major Organizers>. We request that checks
be made payable to American Red Cross.

In collaboration with <list of organizations>. Media sponsor: <local
paper>. Special Thanks to <list of individuals>.

--------------11x17 Color Poster Ends--------


Finally, a question abut photograph: If I just import it into a Word
file, the picture looks distorted. Don't know if it is screen effect or
real.

How can we find out what is the physical size of the photograph and
make it fit our poster without distortion?

The software I see includes Word, Apple Works, Preview, Graphic
Convertor.

Thanks

[ktinkel]

For a Hurricane Katrina aid event on a very short notice (a world-famous artist will be in town and has agreed to perform), it falls on a couple of newbies (who have only composed letters) to design an 11X17 full-color poster to be printed at Kinko's or equivalent in a few days.
People will forgive us if we botch it, but we do want to do a respectable job.

We have a mac, MS word, a file of artists' photograph. Other than that we are out of our depth here! This is an urgent appeal to all experts to help us decide basic design: the colors, fonts and sizes, etc.

Finally, a question abut photograph: If I just import it into a Word
file, the picture looks distorted. Don't know if it is screen effect or
real.

How can we find out what is the physical size of the photograph and
make it fit our poster without distortion?

The software I see includes Word, Apple Works, Preview, Graphic
Convertor.Quite a challenge!

To determine the size of your photos, open the files in Graphic Converter and check the pixel dimensions (horizontal and vertical). That will tell us how large you can print them.

What is the file type (.tif or .tiff, .jpg or .jpeg)? That also affects what can be done. Photo images that have been saved as jpegs may have lost too much data to be enlarged (or even to be printed at all).

You are printing in full color — on an inkjet printer? color copier? offset (ink-on-paper) press? This will also affect the quality you can aspire to (and achieve).

Word is limited as a poster layout tool. You will not have good control over spacing and positioning of images, for one thing. Try to use printing-industry fonts (with families of associated weights and widths, for example; not web fonts, and preferably not Times New Roman or other fonts distributed with Word).

Given your constraints, the better part of valor is to keep the layout very simple and straightforward. No one will mind simplicity (may even prefer it), but might notice the results of over-reaching.

I am pretty sure that someone here would be glad to help you with this, using a layout program and experience with photos and type, and give you a PDF for Kinko’s (with fonts and image embedded so there is less likelihood of an error). Just ask.

Meanwhile, let us know about the photos — in case you need to get others if they are only web quality.

Good luck.

[Newbie]

Thanks Kathleen. The photo file has extention .jpg but my mac tells me it is jpeg type. It is about 5MB. I will be happy to email my trial poster and the photo to anyone, just send me an email.I am hesitant to actually post them on the internet as I don't have most participants' permission. Not that they would necessarily object, but many are not around to for me to ask.

I do want to keep it simple and tasteful. My primary goal in asking help is to avoid obvious amateurish blunders like too many fonts, colors and text sizes, or wrong ones.

As you suggest, I am glad to ask everyone's help or advice, however they are able to.

Newbie

[PeterArnel]

My simple rule of thumb
is start with the most important - in big type and get smaller as u go
HOWEVER
my real advice is go and put them up your self armed with sellotape, nails etc - printing posters in one thing making sure they are put up in the right place is the most impoirtant - in the uk we have road side signs ( say about six small ones - one after another with different information on so u can read them at speed
Peter