The Perfect Poster

N has long been known as the Queen of the Perfect Hockey Poster. She's had years of practice & knows the importance of balancing design with the perfect catch phrase. Her posters have landed her in numerous NHL stock photo collections & one was featured widely when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009; the picture even made it in Sports Illustrated (see photos below).

 

This one is just an old favorite- Canes-Penguins game in Dec 2008, a Dear Santa, All I Want for Christmas is Sidney Crosby poster got N a puck :) 

Below is from a Feb 2011 Canes-Penguins game. N sketched the Wilkes-Barre Scranton logo out by hand (she boxed the logo image and copied it accordingly onto the larger poster board). This was just after Sid's concussion and the team was full of injuries, so half the team was basically Baby Pens.

Here are some of N's tips for making the perfect poster:

• Be creative & put some effort in it- the best looking posters are typically the ones people put a decent amount of time into (as opposed to spending 10 minutes before a game trying to get something written on a board- it may have landed N that sweet puck above, but it isn't guaranteed to work & you will be judged!).
• Keep it short and simple! If you want hockey players to read it as they skate by, don't write a paragraph.
• If you keep it short make sure the letters are visible. Big and Bold! Try to use a font that's at least 4in in letter height (think back to grade school- Ellison Die Cutters, the machines that make letters for bulletin boards, are typically designed for a 4in height). You want to make your poster so people can actually see it! 

Our Step by Step Instructions for the Perfect Hockey Poster

About a year ago, Nicole made this poster for a Penguins at Hurricanes game (December 3, 2012). This poster is sleek and to the point- so much so that even Crosby noticed it. We thought this poster was perfect to welcome him back to the world of hockey (he had just returned a few weeks before)!

Step 1:

Gather all of the supplies that you're going to need. The go-to supplies are:

• Poster Board (go simple and easy to read...white! No neons, we aren't little kids, even though we think that neon pink is the best!). 
• A  pencil and eraser!  
• Ruler or yard stick (Preferably a yard stick- they are just easier to use)
• Markers (basic Crayola's work great, they make both a bold and fine line)

Step 2:

We recommend always using pencil to mark out where everything is going to go. N always uses a ruler to judge space accordingly and to set lines for words.

Step 3:

Go over the pencil in marker  (over and over and over). Choose your marker color wisely! No one across the rink can read yellow, but black with a yellow outline works great!

Step 4

Admire your beautiful final product!

Step 5

Be loud & proud with your sign at warm ups and during the game (but not while game is in play- DON'T be that person that get's yelled at for blocking everyone's view of the game)!

Peace, Love & Hockey,
N & L