How to write a slogan, and make a winning poster

A slogan is the shortest speech you will ever write. It has to be understood in one reading, remembered after one hearing and easy to say by a crowd. Here is how to write one, and how to put it on a poster so that it wins the competition.

Five rules of a good slogan

Short. Aim for three to eight words. If it does not fit on one line of a chart, cut it.
One message. "Save water" or "plant trees", not both.
Sound. Rhyme, rhythm or a repeated letter makes a line stick: "नल खुला मत छोड़ो, पानी से नाता जोड़ो".
An action. Tell people what to do: close, plant, wear, vote, wash.
Positive where possible. "Helmet on, worry gone" is remembered longer than a threat.

Four patterns that always work

Pattern	How it works	Example
Do this, get that	An action and its reward	Close the tap. Open the future.
Rhyming pair	Two halves that end in the same sound	कूड़ा कूड़ेदान में, शान है इसी काम में।
Contrast	Two opposites side by side	Used for minutes. Left for generations.
A small truth	Something everyone knows, said freshly	Your family is waiting. Slow down.

Write yours in five minutes

Write the message as a plain sentence: "People should not waste electricity."
Circle the action word: waste, save, switch off.
Find a rhyme or a partner word for it: off and on, bachao and ghatao.
Write three versions. Say each aloud.
Keep the one a seven year old could repeat after hearing it once.

Poster tips for slogan competitions

Slogan first. Give it the top third of the chart, in the biggest letters. Judges read from across the room.
One picture. A single clear drawing beats six small ones.
Two or three colours. Dark letters on a light chart are easiest to read.
Guidelines in pencil. Rule light lines before lettering, and rub them out after.
Check the spelling of every word, twice, especially matras in Hindi and Punjabi.
Name, class and section go small, at the bottom right.

For rallies and prabhat pheris

Choose call and response lines: the leader shouts the first half, everyone answers with the second.
Practise with a clap on each beat so that the whole class keeps time.
Keep five or six slogans and repeat them. Too many, and nobody remembers any.

A worked example

Topic given: "Do not waste food." Plain sentence: people should take only as much as they can eat. Action words: take, eat, serve, share. First tries: "Do not waste food, it is very good" (weak: it rhymes but says nothing). "Take less, waste less" (better: two matching halves). "Take a little. Come back for more." (best: it tells the reader exactly what to do at the buffet, and it is kind). Notice that the best version dropped the rhyme. Rhyme helps, but a clear action helps more.

Slogan, tagline or motto?

A slogan asks people to do something for a cause or a campaign: "Close the tap."
A tagline tells customers what a business promises: "Fresh every morning." See business taglines.
A motto states what a school, family or institution stands for, and stays the same for years.

More help: नारा लेखन in Hindi, slogans for rallies and morning assembly, and the slogan calendar of days.

What to avoid

Slogans that insult a group, a religion, a region or a person.
Party names, candidates or symbols in school and voter awareness work.
Health claims you cannot support. "Wash hands" is fine. "Cures disease" is not.
Copying a brand's advertising line for your own shop.