Flyer — A poster-first event hub for local artists and their communities
The spark
Preserving creative physical work within a digital medium
A fellow Waterloo student I had worked with before reached out asking if I could help design their new app. They had noticed how difficult it was for smaller artists to reach audiences beyond their inner circles. Platforms like Dice existed, but none gave artists a way to highlight the physical posters that are central to how local events are marketed.
That’s how Flyer was born — a platform where artists can share their events in a visually rich, poster-first format, and where locals (and visitors) can discover the city’s art scene in a more personal way.
Research and competitive analysis
We started with surveys and interviews with local artists and event-goers to validate the idea
Pain points per party
Artists
Limited reach, even with Instagram
No good digital equivalent for their posters
Concerns with the cost of tickets
Attendees
Cluttered or corporate-feeling apps
Difficulty discovering smaller/local events.
To understand the landscape, we mapped out competitors like Dice, Vampr, and All Events.
And created a comparison chart to see what overlaps, what's different, and evaluate key functionalities that are foundational to the user experience.
Similarities
Filtering by location, event details, following artists/venues.
Differences
Dice focuses on ticketing and monetization, Vampr focuses on collaboration, StubHub is large-scale and corporate.
Opportunities
A poster-first platform that stays local, lightweight, and focused on discovery.
Challenges, considerations, and process
Before we could start playing more with our design, we had a few considerations to keep in mind.
Let's identify some design challenges
Designing Flyer came with its own set of complexities. Unlike larger, corporate event platforms, our focus on local artists meant creating a product that felt simple, authentic, and community-driven. Along the way, we uncovered obstacles that shaped both the design and direction of the app.
Some early designs for our home page
Poster-first design
We needed an interface that gave space for artists’ posters to shine without clutter or distraction. Flyer’s design had to feel more like a stage than a dashboard.
Dual experience
Artists and attendees use the app in very different ways. The challenge was giving both groups the tools they needed while keeping everything tied together in one simple flow.
Scope definition
From the start, we asked ourselves: how far do we go? Where do we draw the line with features we'd like to offer?
Community moderation
Shared photo uploads felt like a great way to build community, but it opened up real concerns around misuse and moderation. The question was: how do we keep it safe without putting too much burden on the artists?
To be or not to be… What would be Flyer's true identity?
Visualizing the high-level journey helped me determine which screens to prioritize for the MVP while still keeping future ideas in mind. At this stage, I also had to get clear on what Flyer is and what it isn’t.
It is…
A poster-first way for artists to share events
A hub for locals and visitors to discover the art scene
Designed to feel lightweight, authentic, and community-driven
And it isn't…
A corporate, all-in-one event platform like TicketMaster or StubHub
A social network for endless posting and reactions
A heavy ticketing system — artists stay in control of that piece
The process from here on out was quite straightforward, including all our key points of iteration…
Information architecture
To get started, I mapped out the high-level journey for both artists and attendees. This helped me figure out which screens were critical for the MVP and which could wait until later. Having the flows side by side also made it easier to see how different roles interacted within the same app without overcomplicating things.
Wireframes and iterating
Once the flows were clear, I moved into low-fidelity sketches and wireframes. The biggest question was how much information to show up front versus what should live on secondary screens. I experimented with different layouts — some clean and minimal, others more bold and image-heavy — then tested them with artists and event-goers to see which felt most natural.
Cross-platform design
Because we launched on both iOS and Android, I designed with platform-native navigation patterns in mind. iOS leaned on the familiar tab bar, while Android used a drawer menu. While navigation patterns were different, the brand and poster-first experience stayed consistent across both.
Visual design and branding
Moving into visual design, the priority was making sure the app felt like a stage for posters, not another layer of noise. I built out a color palette and typography system that gave the interface a bold but clean look, then tested how artist posters looked against it. The final UI complemented the posters without competing for attention. OR
Visual direction focused on bold typography and rich colors that complemented, not competed with, artist posters. Flyer wasn’t about being another corporate listing site — it was about respecting the artistry of event posters.
Core features
The MVP came together around a few key features that balanced artist needs with attendee simplicity. Flyer was built to be lightweight, local, and poster-first without slipping into the territory of bigger, corporate event platforms.
We intentionally avoided ticketing in the MVP, leaving that in the artists’ control. This allowed Flyer to stay focused on discovery and community.
Poster-first event pages
To highlight physical posters, we allow users to upload them to be the backdrop for their event information. They can also be seen in full view.
Browse and filter events
This is a classic feature, allowing users to find events that are more tailored towards their likes. However, it's also a minimal explore page to bring new artists to the forefront of attendees.
Follow events
As with many other applications, users can favourite events they'd like to attend. However, to continue fostering relationships with the artist, users can "RSVP" their attendance and help organizers get a headcount.
After the foundation has been built, we found our MVF (most valuable feature)
Eureka! Let's create a digital guestbook
To create a community means to encourage connection. We struggled understanding how to do so without becoming social media, where any interaction become a KPI for an artists's measure of success. Thus, the idea of a guestbook was born — users who have attended an event could upload photos to a digital archive for each artists performance along with short comments.
Meaningful interactions
Users are only able to post their experience, not comment or like on others. Artists of the event are the only people that can like any shared comments to foster community.
Without being social media
With limited comments and interactions available, this design avoids endless scrolling and chat chains. It's more intentional, since users need to drill down a few pages to access these notes,
Epilogue
There's always more than what appears
What were the key takeaways in this journey?
Niche focus supersedes one-stop-shop
Flyer’s strength was local poster-first discovery, not competing with Eventbrite/StubHub
Moderation is never simple, but needed
Building community features surfaced real challenges around safety, trust, and workload.
Designing for dual roles is complex
Artists and attendees had very different needs, but had to be tied together in one experience.
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