Word Posters Are (Probably) Here To Stay.

26 Oct

Posters of words — just words, sometimes just letters — have been a huge trend in decorating the past few years. You can call it a recessionary trend, but like it or not it’s a real trend.

"Fat Gives Things Flavor" print, Kantan Designs via Etsy, $16

When I say “poster” I’m not referring at all to the Luke Skywalkers that graced your childhood bedroom, so I suppose we should call them “prints.” Just take a tour of Etsy and you’ll see thousands (seriously) of pretty cheap prints that are frequently very sharp looking, professional quality, and stunningly unique. You’ll also find a lot that are rife with mistakes and inconsistencies, delivered to you in PDF format rather than on paper, and so on…but that gripe is for another day.

The great thing about small prints like this is their flexibility. They’re usually very inexpensive so you can easily try one out without much worry, interchange them when you tire of one, and you can likely afford to do a whole wall in them for the cost of a regular sized single piece of art. They typically come shipped flat or rolled, with no frame, so your choices are endless when it comes to display: clothes pins, binder clips, table frame or wall frame…it’s entirely up to you.

An Alphabetic Ode to Helvetica, ModernPop via Etsy, $30

In terms of where to put them, your choices are boundless. Try something fun like displaying a print in the kitchen (like the “Fat Gives Things Flavor” one — love this!), hanging them at ascending heights along your staircase, or framed sweetly in a boring bathroom. With many priced at $10-$20 each, you can even put a fun saying or mantra on the back of a coat closet door to give your storage space an extra punch and make your day a little brighter.

Lastly, and take my advice with caution, if you’re into quotes and typography as much as I am you can often DIY a print like this. Just get on the computer, play with words/fonts/colors, and print out your “art” on a regular old piece of 8.5 x 11. You can cut to fit a small frame, and you’ve made your own Etsy poster for free!

Here are a few more that caught my eye during a quick Etsy hunt. These are by no means representative of everything that’s out there…