Design practice

What's a poster?


Well,  says the Oxford English Dictionary defines a poster as a large printed picture used for decoration.
Wikipedia, however, say a poster is designed to be both eye-catching and convey information.  
The later seems like a better explanation. A poster, like all graphic design is made to sit in the outside world without the designer being there to justify the design choices. So you need to rely on the poster alone to communicate your message. Sure, posters can be aesthetically pleasing. They need to be to attract attention first but it's the message behind the aesthetics that keep the viewer there looking at the poster longer.
Ever since I started this year I've given myself a strict rule to follow.
"Communication first, then make it look pretty"