What Makes a Good Jam Flyer?

Jam flyers are an essential part of promotion and have been around for decades. But what makes a good jam flyer? My aim is to answer that question in this post, where we will dive into what should be included on a jam flyer and why.

Before we define what a "good" jam flyer is, we should first define its purpose. I believe a jam flyer's primary purpose is to be informational. This one image will be what most people share, what you will print and hand out, and what most people see when it comes to promoting your jam, so it should contain crucial information.

Therefore, it stands to reason that a "good jam flyer" is one that contains all the necessary information that a viewer may be looking for.

Of course, there is a whole design aspect when it comes to creating jam flyers, which I'll expand more on in a future blog post.

I'll break up all of the necessary information into three tiers, and expand on each item. Lastly, I'll touch on some extra information you can include, as well as some case studies of good jam flyers.

Necessary Information:

Tier 1

This is the stuff that matters MOST on your flyer. Make sure to include these things, otherwise your flyer is useless:

• Jam Title
  • This should be self-explanatory; it's what people will call your jam, so it should be evident and present
• Location
  • People need to where to go (especially out-of-towners)
• Date and Time
  • People need to know when the jam is happening, to plan for it and factor it into their schedules
• Format
  • This can pull people for different reasons; maybe your jam is a 4v4 and will give a crew an excuse to come out so they can all battle together. If your jam is a 1v1, it might be a lower bar of entry for more people to come out and compete. Regardless, this is important information for the breakers planning on coming to know.

To quote Don Lov, graphic designer and seasoned jam flyer creator:

"To me, 'what, when, and where' are the most important parts. People should be able to see the flyer and know when and where otherwise what's the point?"

Tier 2

These are not as crucial as Tier 1 information, but are still very important and helpful to include.

• Judges
  • The judge names serve a few important purposes: They attract people if they have recognizable names, they set the skill ceiling of your jam (more talented/knowledgable judges typically leads to higher skill coming to battle), and also establish the credibility of the battles (no one will want to come to your jam if the judges have no reputation, or if they know the judges to be biased).
• DJ
  • The DJ can be a pull for people to come since they know what music they'll be hearing, so it's wise to advertise your DJ on the flyer
• Entry price/Admission
  • The first question breakers have when it comes to a jam might be "how much is admission?" This affects everyone and can encourage attendance if admission is free/cheap.
• Prize Money
  • Prize money isn't everything when it comes to promotion, but can be a draw for those who are gunning to win your jam. Your flyer won't be terrible if it's missing, but it'll be inconvenient for those who are looking for it.

Tier 3

• MC
  • I do think MC is necessary to put on the flyer (in some cases, it can be a pull for people), but oftentimes it's not as important or as alluring as the other information.

Those are all of the necessary elements to put on a jam flyer.

On top of those, here are some extra elements to consider putting on your flyer if applicable.

Extra Information

• Exhibitions
  • This can attract people to come out to your jam, so it would be helpful to highlight on your flyer.
• Sponsors
  • If you have a sponsor for a jam, then you will likely have to advertise that sponsor on your jam flyer. This should go on the bottom or have its own dedicated space somewhere that doesn't conflict with other important info.
• Performances
  • Sometimes jams might include performances, whether by a MC/Rap group, Choreo group, etc.
    

Case Studies

Here are a few jam flyers that serve as good examples of including all the necessary elements mentioned above

It includes everything I listed in the "necessary information" section, and has good emphasis on important elements like the Date, Time, Location, Formats, and Prize. It also looks great, has a cool color scheme, and is easy to read. This Smoke Sesh SSN 2 Finale Flyer has it all. Shoutout to Don Lov for creating this!

For anyone intimidated by the process of making a Jam Flyer, this Cypher Minds Flyer proves that simple can still work. There's little creative design involved with this flyer, but it has all of the essential information a breaker will be looking for. In lieu of fancy designs, I believe the creator of this flyer opted to emphasize the main draw for the event - the reputable and famous judges. The only critique I have for this flyer is that it most likely won't get too many non-Breakers to come out, as it relies on breakers knowing who these names are.

This MST 5 Year Anniversary Jam flyer has a LOT of information, but I actually think it's a good example of delivering an aesthetic flyer while still keeping it informational. There is a lot going on here, but they made sure to include all the information you would need to know, as well as extra information such as the exhibition battle and MST crew showcase. If I screenshot this picture and send it to my crew group chat, they will have all the information needed.

Conclusion

In my breaking career I've come across a lot of jam flyers and have seen many that omit crucial information. My hope is that the things I listed out in this post can be the common standard for our flyers.

If you want to learn more about the design & artistic aspects of creating jam flyers, please stay tuned for future posts.

Peace and Blessings,

Nick Kim