The purpose of the article is to understand the synthesis and cautious term system of specific artistic features of an advertising poster at every stage of the stylistic evolution for the effective practice of modern graphic designers in creating a variety of advertising images by stylisation. The research methodology is based on the use of systematic art review, stylistic, and comparative analysis of artistic advertising products of the 1870s‐2010s to determine the evolution of artistic styles of commercial advertising posters. The scientific novelty of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of advertising posters over the specified period to learn the development of their visual language as a system of artistic and figurative means, and swipe files for modern graphic designers to implement stylised advertising graphics following each artistic style. The article describes typical signs of advertising posters at each historical stage with the following components of the graphic design project: composition, the principle of stylised image, colour, typography, and the effects of applying technical resources at each new stage. We have provided examples of modern stylisation for advertising posters following the styles of previous eras. Conclusions. In the general cultural and historical context of the epoch, an advertising poster represents typical features of the artistic style of each historical period. The study of these features and mastering the stylised skills of style patterns after each specific period gives modern graphic designers the chance to develop variable brand visual systems.