Coffeehouse uses poster printing to display business ideals

For small businesses looking to mix art and marketing, poster printing may be the perfect strategy, allowing them to let the creative juices flow while appealing to consumers' visual sensibilities.

Consider Metropolis Coffee Co. in Chicago, for example. As an independently-owned cafe and coffee wholesaler, Metropolis must work to appeal to its demographic of customers – hip clientele with a dedication to and love for small-batch artisan roasting, Entrepreneur magazine writes.

To help them further brand themselves and provide customers with the sort of advertisement they would appreciate, Metropolis asked Jay Ryan, a poster maker with pedigree filled with renowned musicians, to lend a hand. Per instructions, Ryan created a selection of posters that communicated Metropolis' values as a business: authenticity and handicraftsmanship.

"We're artisan in the way we do things, and Ryan's posters tie in with that philosophy. They're hand-drawn and made by a person. They're just cool. It's as simple as that," Metropolis co-owner Tony Dreyfuss told Entrepreneur.

Additionally, posters like those Metropolis invested in producing can be sold for additional profit to customers wanting to take home a piece of their favorite brand, eatery or business.