# DJ flyer design: event posts that get people through the door [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/dj-flyer-design) A club flyer gets a passing glance in someone's feed. In that glance they need to know who is playing, when and where. The rest is atmosphere, and atmosphere is where most flyers spend too much of their space. ## The short version - DJ flyer design depends on a clear hierarchy: the night or headliner first, then the date, then the venue, then the rest of the lineup. - A lineup reads best in billing order, with the headliner largest and support acts in one smaller, consistent size. - Every event needs at least a 1080×1350 feed post and a 1080×1920 story version, designed separately rather than cropped. - A short looping promo with still words and a moving background catches attention in stories without becoming hard to read. - An A5 printed flyer is 1748×2480 pixels at 300 dpi. Strong **DJ flyer design** comes down to order: the night's name or the headliner first, the date second, the venue third and the rest of the lineup after that, all readable in a second on a phone. Then make the same flyer in every shape the promo needs: a feed post, a story, a short loop and a printed version for the bar. Atmosphere matters, but only once the facts are impossible to miss. ## The hierarchy that sells tickets Before you choose a colour, rank the information. People decide whether to go based on who is playing, whether they are free and whether they can get there. Everything else is supporting detail. Give each level a clear size step so the eye moves down the flyer in the right order. | Rank | Element | Treatment | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Headliner or night name | Largest by far, the one thing visible as a thumbnail | | 2 | Day and date | Bold, near the top or directly under the headliner | | 3 | Venue and city | Clear, one size down from the date | | 4 | Support acts | One shared size, in billing order | | 5 | Times, tickets, age policy | Small, grouped at the bottom | Five levels, five sizes. If two levels are the same size, the flyer stops telling people where to look. [Visual hierarchy](https://gradiently.design/guide/visual-hierarchy) explains the principle in more depth. On a club flyer it is simply the difference between a full room and a half empty one. ## How to lay out a DJ lineup Lineups follow billing order, and the artists and agents involved will notice if they do not. Headliner at the top and largest. Support acts listed below, all in one size. Residents and warm up sets at the end, or in a line of their own. If there are two rooms, split the lineup into two clear columns, each with a room name. ### Avoid - Six names in six different sizes - Names set in a distressed font nobody can read - Lineup placed over the busiest part of the artwork - Times mixed in with the names - The date hidden in tiny type at the bottom ### Do - Headliner large, everyone else in one size - A clean, condensed face for the lineup - Lineup on a calm part of the background - Set times in a separate story the week of the show - Date bold and near the top A portrait club night flyer listing the headline DJ, the date, support acts and the venue over a dark gradient A feed flyer in billing order: night and headliner, date, then support acts and venue in one line. ## Feed post and story versions The feed post and the story are different shapes with different interfaces on top, so design each one rather than cropping. The story has more height, so the lineup can breathe, but the top and bottom bands are covered by Instagram's controls. Keep everything important in the middle and leave room for a ticket link sticker. A vertical club night story announcing tickets on sale with the date and venue The on sale story. One message, room below for the link sticker. A vertical story reading Tonight with doors at 10pm and a note about last tickets The day of story. Same look, shortest possible message. A typical promo run: announcement post and story about four weeks out, a lineup reveal, set times the week of the show, and a tonight story. If the event has a Facebook page, add a 1920×1005 event cover; [Facebook event cover size](https://gradiently.design/guide/facebook-event-cover-size) has the details. ## Colours for club flyers Club nights suit dark grounds with one strong colour moving through them, the way a room looks when the lights hit smoke. Keep the brightest part of the colour away from the lineup, and keep the type a solid, light colour with steady contrast. Each night or residency should own one look and keep it, so regulars spot the flyer before they read it. - Violet strobe: `radial-gradient(circle at 75% 25%, #7c3aed 0%, #2e1065 40%, #07060d 80%)` - Red room: `radial-gradient(circle at 20% 80%, #dc2626 0%, #450a0a 45%, #0a0505 85%)` - Cyan haze: `linear-gradient(160deg, #04131a 0%, #0e4a5c 50%, #22d3ee 100%)` - Sunrise set: `radial-gradient(circle at 50% 100%, #f59e0b 0%, #7c2d12 40%, #0c0a09 85%)` Four club grounds. The light comes from one side, leaving a darker area where the lineup can sit. ## Animated loops for promos Movement stops the thumb in a stories feed. The trick is to animate the background, not the words: a slow drift of light behind a still lineup is eye catching and still readable. Keep it short and make sure it loops cleanly. 1. **Start from the finished still** Lock the layout and the words first. Motion comes last. 2. **Move only the background** Light drifting, colour shifting slowly. If the words move, let them rise in once and then stay still. 3. **Keep it short and seamless** A loop that joins invisibly can play for as long as someone watches. [Seamless loop video](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-loop-video) covers the technique. 4. **Export as MP4** MP4 is smaller and sharper than GIF for this. [GIF vs MP4](https://gradiently.design/guide/gif-vs-mp4) explains when each one fits. ## Printed DJ flyers and posters Print still works for club nights: a stack of flyers on the bar of the venue and record shops nearby, and an A3 poster at 3508×4961 pixels for the door. An A5 flyer is 1748×2480 pixels at 300 dpi. Add bleed if the artwork runs to the edge, and check the lineup still reads at arm's length. [Flyer design](https://gradiently.design/guide/flyer-design) covers the print basics. Gradiently suits a weekly or monthly residency. Claim a Mark as the night's look and nobody else can export with it. Its calm area moves behind the lineup, so the names stay readable whatever the light is doing. The Designer can lay out the flyer, the story and the tonight frame from one description, and with Pro, bulk create builds a season of flyers from a spreadsheet of dates and guests, and any story can export as a looping MP4. ## FAQ ### What should be on a DJ flyer? The night name or headliner, the date, the venue and city, the support acts in billing order, and small details such as times, ticket link and age policy. ### What size should a DJ flyer be for Instagram? Use 1080×1350 for the feed post and 1080×1920 for the story, designed as separate layouts rather than one crop. ### What size is a printed club flyer? A5 is a common flyer size, 1748×2480 pixels at 300 dpi. A3, 3508×4961 pixels, works for posters on doors and noticeboards. ### How do I order names on a DJ lineup poster? In billing order: headliner largest at the top, support acts below in one shared size, residents and warm up sets last. ### Should a DJ flyer be animated? For stories, a short loop with a moving background and still words catches more attention. Keep a still version for the feed and print.