In order to pitch a great idea to your colleagues, it might help to think like ad man William Bernbach, who said, “Advertising doesn’t create a product advantage. It can only convey it.” An effective Concept Poster is a powerful way to promote an idea and rally support for its development.

Start by thinking big—large scale, big ideas, short phrases—and then fill in the details to help support the main points you’re highlighting. Your poster should show what the idea is, why it matters, and how it works, because ultimately you want to influence people to embrace your concept by communicating what makes it an appropriate solution. Since this is a poster, you’ll want to keep it highly visual, using images and words that clearly and concisely articulate the important aspects of your concept. Remember that while words can aid understanding, illustrations, even if rudimentarily drawn, can go a long way in conveying an idea.

• Promotes a vision of the future.
• Helps you build a business case.
• Gains support from decision makers.
• Provides a road map for moving forward.

• Identify a new idea to introduce.
• Assemble a team and some basic drawing materials.
• Come up with a name and a tag line for the concept.
• Write a short summary of the big idea.
• Include a description of the key stakeholders.
• List a few features and benefits.
• Illustrate the concept with a big picture or diagram.
• Add a timeline for developing the solution.
• Draft the layout and draw the final poster.

• Make the first draft quickly. Don’t overthink it.
• Engage an expert designer for visual refinement.
• Display the posters prominently to rally enthusiasm.