Political & Event Banner Design: Layout, Photos and Rules
Party function welcomes, leader birthday wishes and campaign posters are a large part of flex work in Tamil Nadu. They share a challenge: many people want to appear on one banner, and every person's name and photo matters to them. A clear structure keeps these banners readable and avoids costly reprints. This guide is neutral and applies to banners for any party or public event.
Structure the banner in tiers
- Top tier: the main leader or leaders, the party symbol and colours. These are usually fixed in a template.
- Middle tier: the occasion (welcome, birthday wishes, anniversary, public meeting) in the largest text, with the date and place.
- Lower tier: the people giving the banner: district, union or ward functionaries, with photos in a row and their names and posts below.
Keeping these tiers separate lets you reuse a template for many customers. Only the lower tier and the occasion change.
Names and designations
- Collect every name and post in writing, in the order the customer wants. Seniority order matters, and getting it wrong causes disputes.
- Use one consistent format, for example “Name, Post, Area”.
- Do not shorten names or initials without asking.
- Read the final list back to the customer before printing.
Photos
- Ask for recent, front-facing photos with plain backgrounds where possible.
- Use the same crop for every supporter photo (head and shoulders) and the same frame size.
- Leader photos are the largest element; use the highest-resolution versions available. A blurry face is very noticeable on a 20 ft board.
- Ready cut-outs in our PNG section can save time for common photos.
Colours and symbols
Use party colours and symbols exactly as the party uses them. Do not stretch, recolour or crop a symbol. Keep a clear area around it. When the template's colours do not match an updated official palette, adjust them with an adjustment layer rather than repainting.
Rules and responsibility
Many local bodies require permission for roadside flex boards and limit their size, location and duration. During elections, the Election Commission's model code of conduct and expenditure rules apply to campaign material, and printed election material is expected to carry the printer's and publisher's names. Always check current local rules before printing and installing, and avoid content that could hurt any community or individual. As the printer or designer, you share responsibility for what you print.
Print checklist
- Names, posts and order confirmed in writing.
- All photos sharp at 100% zoom on screen.
- Size and DPI set for viewing distance (see the size table).
- Converted to CMYK and colours checked (see RGB vs CMYK).
- Printer's details included where required.
- Flattened copy sent to the printer, layered PSD kept for corrections.