How To Choose The Perfect Motivational Poster

A motivational poster works when you still like it in six months. That comes down to three decisions: the line, the size and the wall - in that order.

Below is how we'd choose one, including the sizes that suit a desk versus a hallway, which styles age well, and the spots where a print gets seen every day instead of ignored.

Everything we mention is printed by us in the UK on heavyweight matte paper, unframed, in A5, A4 and A3.

Step one: choose the line before the design

• Read it out loud. If you'd be embarrassed to say it to someone, you'll be embarrassed when a guest reads it off your wall.
• Short beats clever. Three to six words can be read from across a room; a paragraph becomes wallpaper within a week.
• Pick a line that matches the room's job - focus at a desk, calm in a bedroom, a laugh in a downstairs loo.
• If it's a gift, choose a line about the person rather than about success in general.
• Stuck for wording - Read the guide

Step two: pick the size for the wall, not the shop

• A5 suits a shelf, a desk edge or a cluster of small frames. It disappears on a big empty wall.
• A4 is the safe answer above a desk: readable when you're sitting down, small enough not to loom over a monitor.
• A3 is for a wall you see from across the room - a hallway, a landing, a home gym corner or above a sofa. Shop this card
• Rule of thumb: the print should fill roughly two thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it, or group two or three smaller ones to get there. Shop this card
• Full size comparison - Read the guide Shop this card

Step three: match the style to the room you have

• Bold typography on a plain background suits modern rooms and offices, and stays readable at a distance.
• Muted or monochrome prints sit better in a room that already has a lot going on - patterned wallpaper, full bookshelves, colourful furniture.
• Pull one colour out of something already in the room - a cushion, a plant pot, the kitchen tiles - and the print looks chosen rather than added. Shop this card
• Keep it to one font style per wall. Mixing three typography prints together looks busy, not curated. Shop this card
• Funny beats earnest in kitchens and loos - Read the guide Shop this card

Step four: where to hang it

• Above a desk: eye level while seated, roughly 15-20cm above the monitor, slightly off-centre so it isn't competing with the screen.
• Hallway or landing: eye level while standing, centre of the print around 145-150cm from the floor.
• Home gym or corner: high enough to read mid-workout, and away from a wall that gets damp or steamy.
• Bedroom: one print, above the chest of drawers rather than the bed, where you see it on the way out of the door.
• Kitchen: away from the hob and the kettle's steam trail, or the paper cockles within a month.
• Hanging without damaging the wall - Read the guide

Framing, and whether you need one

• Our prints are sized to standard high street frames, so a £5 clip frame works fine and costs less than a bespoke one.
• A thin black or oak frame suits typography. Ornate frames fight with the lettering.
• A white mount adds breathing room and makes an A4 print read like an A3 on the wall. Shop this card
• Unframed works if you use removable strips, but tape the corners flat first or the paper curls.

Buying more than one

• Three prints of the same size in matching frames, evenly spaced, is the easiest wall that still looks deliberate.
• Mixing sizes works if you keep one shared colour and hang them to a common centre line.
• For a gallery wall, lay them out on the floor first and photograph the arrangement before putting a single hole in the wall.
• Shop the range - Shop the range
• Motivational designs - Shop the range

Shop quote prints

How to write it so it lands

• Say the line out loud before you buy it.
• A4 above a desk, A3 for a hallway.
• Pull one colour from something already in the room.
• Hang to eye level for how the room is used, not to the middle of the wall.

Where to shop next

• Shop quote prints
• Shop motivational prints
• Quote prints guide
• Motivational prints guide
• Posters and prints
• Funny wall art
• Kitchen wall art
• Print sizes explained
• Gallery wall ideas
• How to hang prints without damage
• Motivational quotes
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Congratulations cards
• Good luck cards
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What size motivational poster should I buy?

A4 above a desk, A3 for a hallway, landing or any wall you see from across the room, and A5 for a shelf or as part of a cluster. The print should fill about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it.

How high should you hang a motivational poster?

Eye level for how the room is used. Standing rooms like hallways: the centre of the print around 145-150cm from the floor. Above a desk: eye level while seated, roughly 15-20cm above the monitor.

What style of motivational poster ages best?

Short typography on a plain background. Three to six words read from across a room and don't date. Long passages and heavily illustrated designs are the ones people take down first.

Where should you not hang a print?

Directly above a hob or kettle, in a bathroom that steams up, or in full direct sunlight. Paper cockles in damp air and inks fade on a south-facing wall.

Do motivational posters need to be framed?

No, but a cheap high street clip frame makes a print look twice the price. Ours are sized to standard A5, A4 and A3 frames, so you don't need anything bespoke.

Do motivational posters make a good gift?

Yes, if the line is about the person rather than success in general - a new job, a first flat, finishing a course. Pick A4 so it fits whatever wall they end up with.

How many prints should go on one wall?

One large print, or three the same size in matching frames, evenly spaced. Anything beyond that needs a planned gallery layout rather than adding prints one at a time.

Do you sell frames?

No. We design and print the posters here in the UK and send them unframed and flat. They're cut to standard A5, A4 and A3 so any high street frame fits.