50 outstanding posters to inspire your next design

Hit a dead end? Looking for the perfect inspiration for your next poster?

Finding the right poster design is challenging. Actually, with so many options to choose from and absolutely no rules governing poster design, putting one together can be downright difficult. Not only does your design have to be a stunner, but you also have to create it in a way that it evokes the right emotion.

To get you inspired or help you get over your annoying “designer’s block,” we have carefully curated a list of 50 outstanding posters. If you are specifically designing an event poster, check out this awesome post, or try our poster maker tool.

This poster is designed by DKNG Studios for Explosions in the Sky to describe the band’s “mammoth sound”. The ominous colors and balanced rule-of-thirds proportion makes it a classy post-rock poster.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Another great design by DKNG Studios, this poster was created for the Atlantic City gig of the band Phish. This is actually a triptych that has been cut down into three separate posters. The colors and the old-school illustration style lend the poster a very retro vibe.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Giving the famous Marvel heroes a polygon twist, these amazing posters were designed by Christos Ellinas. Marvel superhero sketches are frequently drawn by illustrators, but Christos has given it a unique take with a low-poly technique.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Morgan Allan Knutson designed this minimalist, monochromatic, flat illustration poster for Dropbox — a prime example of how you can prove a point with only a few elements.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This gig poster for the famous band has been designed by Dawid Ryski. The colors give it a vintage look, and the design manages to reveal quintessential Florence and the Machine elements — from Florence’s ginger hair to the beautiful musical equipment.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster by Grzegorz Domaradzki was designed for a Bollywood movie and as an Indian, I have to say, he captured the perfect essence of the movie.

This is definitely one of my favorite posters on the list. Based on Kubrick’s classic movie, 2001: ASpace Odyssey, this poster by Matt Chase has amazing depth from the perfect perspective.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Studio JQ has literally mapped wine on this poster. There is so much going on in this poster, with so many small details, and yet it finds a way to be absolutely simple.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Water has a mysterious property, it is the heaviest at 4 degree Celsius and Jongwon Won has tried to depict that same property through shape and gradation of a dewdrop.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster has been hand drawn by Thibault Daumain. The amalgamation of the colors is so beautifully done, it almost feels natural. The minimal font is chosen to balance out the chaos in the background.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Designed by Studio JQ, this is a simple and classic motivational poster. The colors used are very basic, and yet, they somehow manage to grab the viewer’s attention. I specifically like how the positive and negative signs are used in the right way.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster was created by Allan Peters when he was expecting his first child. Again, simplicity at its best. The colors are subtle, and the little cycle on top is absolutely adorable.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This is a travel poster that Russ Gray made after his great trip to Alaska. Glacier Bay is the national park in Alaska, and Zaandam was the name of the ship he cruised on. The colors definitely scream Alaska, and “Braggadocio” typeface just falls in perfectly with the design.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Designed by John Larigakis, this poster is the epitome of fun. I would honestly wear a t-shirt with this print. Its simple black and white illustration proves that sometimes, it’s all about the idea and not the different techniques you use in your design.

Iron Man is my favorite Avenger and I absolutely love how Grzegorz Domaradzki has divided the poster into the good guys and the bad guys, while Tony Stark stands right in the middle.

This poster by Collignon Antoine and Tarek Okbir is for a dance outdoor festival in Belgium. It has a very post-apocalyptic vibe to it, but it still manages to have a warm, sunny feeling of the festival.

Check out this poster in Canva:

The Transient Series posters have been done by Pol Pintó. There is only one element used in the design here- sound waves. But they have been placed so beautifully that it completely redefines minimalism.

With this poster, Medness has tried to incorporate a very important social message with the right amount of pun.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Conor Smyth definitely did an amazing job by designing the poster for one of the biggest hits of last year. I love the color scheme used and the little watch on the left side.

Another vintage travel poster on our list, but this one is far different from all the others. The colors and the illustrations actually make you want to go to Venice. It has been designed by Belle Lee.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Designed by Yomagick, this is a great example of how choosing the right typography is all it takes to design the perfect poster. I would definitely put it up in my room.

This vintage poster of Los Angeles is designed by Alex Asfour. Again, I absolutely love the color scheme, the textures are very carefully controlled, and it gives a very 1960s vibe.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster by Conor Smyth is inspired by the game Shadow of the Colossus, and I have to say, it completely reminds you of the epic Sony game.

This movie poster is designed by Eric Michael Walters, and it manages to capture the exact state of mind of the main character who jumps from a jet after it malfunctions and hopes to make it back to Earth.

One of my favorite posters on the list, Cut by Asya Demidova depicts how a person’s haircut can tell us so much about them — their personality, views, and lifestyle. And how subconsciously, our personal prejudices are connected to our perception.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This is a great poster of the 2013 hit movie designed by Arun Raj. I am pretty sure those letter “A” and “V” depict Clooney leaving Sandra Bullock in space.

This poster for The Flash has been designed by MUTI, and what I loved about the poster was how the Flash’s emblem has been embedded in the design.

Fredrico Birchal has done an amazing job with this minimalistic poster. I could almost hear Elvis’s music in the background when I saw this.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster by Josip Kelava was designed by Melbourne Dance School. The way the fonts combine with the picture is extremely inspiring.

Check out this poster in Canva:

I love the way how Krzysztof Iwanski has overlapped the pictures with the different colors, giving the whole poster a very psychedelic vibe.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster has been designed by Jorge Letona to create awareness about Dyslexia, and I have to say, it’s very inspiring.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This vintage travel poster of colonial Sri Lanka has been designed by Mads Berg. The bike in the picture is a Royal Enfield, which a still a favorite among South Asians.

Check this poster in Canva:

This poster designed by Janusz Jurek amazingly combines typography with the 3D picture.

This poster for the Oscar nominated movie has been designed by Arta Ji. I absolutely adore the color scheme and of course, Leonardo Di Caprio.

Designed for an executive meditation course, this poster by Xavier Esclusa Trias completely captures the balance of meditation, and the color blue only adds to the magic.

No poster list is ever complete without the amazing Marilyn Monroe, and that why I just had to include this outstanding star grid poster by Mark Brooks.

The Chinese Saying on this design says “Improve yourself every day” and I couldn’t agree more. This poster by Tun Ho is minimalistic and extremely motivating.

What do you think this poster is about? Actually, it’s a wedding invitation designed by Lara Bispinck for a couple who absolutely loves travelling. The map is of Portugal and the dots on it are the different places that they have travelled together.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster was designed by Stacey Carey and Sinéad Foley for LSAD Graduate Fashion Show. It combines four separate elements together in the most perfect way.

Check out this poster in Canva:

This poster by Pei-Ling Ou says a lot in a small yellow and black illustration. Freedom of speech is an essential human right, and yet so many people are stripped of it. It’s time for us to stand up and defend our right.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Designed by Carmen Nácher, Antidote poster brings the right minimalism with its font and design.

Check out this poster in Canva:

The beautiful cloud effect over the beer glass was all it took for this poster to grab my attention. Even the typography screams retro. This poster has been designed by Mary Kate Mcdevitt.

Check out this poster in Canva:

I absolutely love how the two posters by Ryan Brinkerhoff depict the past and the future of the X-men. Wolverine is, of course, at the center of it all, since he is the one who goes back in time.

The fierce girl illustrated in the background adds so much detail to this poster by Amy Hood. The texture on this poster only uplifts it more.

This is a gig poster designed by Doe Eyed. The idea behind the poster was stained glass and how the light passes through the colored glass.

Check out this poster in Canva:

Designed by Mauro Gatti, this is an amazing poster with a moving message. The color scheme, the font, and the illustration go together perfectly.

Check out this poster in Canva:

What started as a self-initiated challenge, grew into something much bigger for Alex Proba. Through ‘A poster a day’ challenge, every day Proba took out time to draw a poster and she now has more than 250 poster in her series. This one is my personal favorite.

I really liked this poster, because while its color scheme and fonts are very retro, the illustration done is very contemporary. This poster has been designed by Jeff Östberg.

Created for a hairdressing salon by Xavier Esclusa Trias, this poster is very modern and minimal. The brand name takes the center stage, and the flowers around it signify that the brand is completely organic.

The wounded black swan and the gritty texture of the poster go amazingly together. This movie poster has been designed by Viraj Nimlekar.

I hope that I have managed to inspire you a little today and helped you get some great ideas for your next design. But, if you are still a bit confused, check out The complete guide for how to marry text and images in your designs.

Still haven’t joined Canva? Create amazing posters with Canva’s epic poster maker.