Whip Up Your Own DIY Motivational Posters For Your Dorm
Wherever you’re at in your college career, you’ve more likely than not been met with some big emotional obstacles: What am I doing? I can’t study anymore. This test is going to kill me. No one will ever be impressed that I aced History of Polka Dots.
When you’re stuck in a rut between daunting exams and endless assignments, it can be easy to forget that there’s an entire world out there that doesn’t revolve around school. Bring life back into your routine with visual reminders of what’s out there waiting for you. Surround yourself with some self-curated inspiration with these two DIY projects to help rev up those success gears right here, right now with the BeFunky Designer Toolset!
MINI MOTIVATIONAL POSTER
You’ve probably come across motivational memes during your perusals of the Internet and while almost anything can serve as a source of inspiration, these memes tend to feel clichéd and woefully impersonal. However, you can make your own stellar poster that’s lightyears better—and astronomically cheaper.
Pick a Template
Don’t feel restricted by the categories certain templates fall under. The categories are merely suggestions, so let your creative rebel soar! For example, I’ll be creating a medium sized poster with a template from the Winter Holiday category.
Add Your Photos
Collect several photos that have sentimental meaning for you. It could be photos of yourself, your friends, family, pets, celebrity crushes, etc. Look forward and backward. Think of your interests and of landmarks both exotic and familiar. Maybe you want to travel to the Taj Mahal one day. Or you have fond memories of that rickety textbook of building violations that was your childhood. Remember, you are the curator of your own inspiration here!
Click each stock photo in the template and click Replace Image to add your own photos from your computer. Resize and arrange them as you see fit. Select a photo and click Crop Image to reposition the photo within its frame.
Pro tip: Edit and add textures to your photos by selecting them and clicking Open in Image Editor.
Add Inspirational Text
Think of words that speak to both your heart and mind. It might be a quote from your favorite author or a memorable line from a fictional character. It could be a single word—two, even. If you have a mantra, something you think or say that deeply resonates with you, use that. Add your own text by selecting and altering the stock text in the template or by clicking the Text button on the sidebar.
Make the words take up a good amount of space beneath your photos. If you have a longer quote, split it up into 2 or 3 lines and enlarge one of the lines for added effect. I’ve taken inspiration from an Albert Camus quote for my poster.
Mount Your Poster
Once you’ve designed your mini poster, you’re ready to print it out and give it life. Carefully cut it out and frame it or mount it on something bold and sturdy like colored cardstock. Or frame it and mount it like I did! You’re now ready to be inspired on the daily by your own hard work!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE POSTER
You’ve likely seen variations of minimalist all-text posters shouting inspiration at you in a crazy variety of fonts (and if you haven’t, just Google “quote poster”). You can make your own without having to pay for a single class in graphic design.
Pick a Template
You can make a poster from scratch using one of the Blank Templates or you can once again commandeer a design from one of the other categories. I’m going with one of the Invitation templates under Event Graphics.
Pro tip: You can change the background of any of the templates by simply clicking on the existing background and choosing Replace Image.
Choose Your Words
Pick a quote or combine 2 or 3 quotes. Another great idea is to arrange a bunch of words and short phrases into one poster. I’m taking inspiration again from Camus because his philosophy rocks my angsty socks. Use the stock texts as guidelines. Rearrange your words, change their size, and have a ball with the fonts.
Also, to add a bit of visual variety, feel free to add in an overlay or two from the Design Elements on the sidebar. Emphasize the keywords by making them larger and bolder than other words.
Pin It Up
And there you have it—a very groovy, homemade inspirational quote poster you can use to remind yourself that everything’s going to be okay. Print it out and either frame it or mount it on cardstock as a finishing touch.
You’re now stocked with two affordable and easy ways to infuse some much-needed motivation back into your life. Remember that no matter how tough things seem in the moment, there are always other outlets you can delve into. You can do it. And if you need even more inspirational ideas in your life, BeFunky's quote board on Pinterest is always a great place to start.
Keep up the great work and let’s make some killer posters!
