Idea gallery
Wanted Poster Inspiration, sorted
74 crime lines and reward lines, grouped by personality, by occasion and by tone. Steal one as it is, or use it as a shape and drop in the detail that makes it about your person.
74 lines on this pageHow to use this page
Every line below is a template with the detail removed. Used as-is, it will get a laugh. Used as a shape — same rhythm, your specifics — it will get framed.
The method is two steps. First find the group that describes your person: a personality type if the joke is about who they are, an occasion if the joke is about what is happening this week. Then take the closest line and make it narrower. "Wanted for eating all the snacks" is fine; "Wanted for the third packet of biscuits this week" is the one that ends up on a kitchen wall.
If you would rather see the reasoning behind the format before writing, the definition guide breaks the layout into its six blocks, and the step-by-step guide covers photo specs and the five crime-line formulas.
Lines by personality
Use these when the joke is about who someone is rather than what is happening. They travel well: the same line works for a birthday, a leaving present or no occasion at all.
The Comedian
- Wanted for making everyone laugh
- Wanted for terrible dad jokes
- Wanted for stealing the show
- Wanted for legendary one-liners
- Wanted for ruining every serious moment
The Late Arriver
- Wanted for legendary lateness
- Wanted for fashionably late appearances
- Wanted for missing the first act
- Wanted for "leaving in five minutes"
- Wanted for holding up the entire group
The Foodie
- Wanted for legendary cooking crimes
- Wanted for eating all the snacks
- Wanted for dangerous flavour experiments
- Wanted for photographing dinner before anyone eats
- Wanted for reheating fish in the office microwave
The Gym Enthusiast
- Wanted for legendary fitness gains
- Wanted for making gains look effortless
- Wanted for lifting everyone’s mood
- Wanted for talking about the gym at every meal
- Wanted for a 5am alarm nobody asked for
The Night Owl
- Wanted for nocturnal activities
- Wanted for 3am text messages
- Wanted for never sleeping
- Wanted for suggesting one more round
- Wanted for closing every venue in town
The Fashionista
- Wanted for being unbearably stylish
- Wanted for setting trends
- Wanted for always looking perfect
- Wanted for crimes against a dress code
- Wanted for owning forty identical black shirts
The Organiser
- Wanted for excessive spreadsheet use
- Wanted for planning everyone’s holiday
- Wanted for colour-coding the calendar
- Wanted for a group chat nobody can leave
- Wanted for running the whole thing single-handed
The Pet Owner
- Wanted for stealing every blanket in the house
- Wanted for barking at the postman
- Wanted for sitting on the keyboard during meetings
- Wanted for accepting treats from strangers
- Wanted for taking the entire bed
Lines by occasion
Use these when the event is the reason for the gift. Occasion lines date faster than personality lines, which is usually fine — the poster is a record of a specific moment.
Birthdays
- Wanted for being ageless
- Wanted for legendary party hosting
- Wanted for looking better every year
- Wanted for refusing to act their age
Engagements and weddings
- Wanted for stealing hearts
- Wanted for being unbearably in love
- Wanted for leaving the gang single
- Wanted for finding the one
Leaving drinks and retirement
- Wanted for legendary office legend status
- Wanted for being world’s best boss
- Wanted for transforming the team
- Wanted for abandoning us on a Friday
New baby and new parents
- Wanted for producing the cutest human alive
- Wanted for legendary parenting
- Wanted for sleep deprivation excellence
- Wanted for a nursery nobody can enter
Graduations and new jobs
- Wanted for escaping education
- Wanted for outgrowing this town
- Wanted for a suspiciously good CV
- Wanted for making it look easy
Teams and clubs
- Wanted for championship winning performance
- Wanted for legendary athletic prowess
- Wanted for a tackle we are still talking about
- Wanted for missing an open goal in front of everyone
Occasion-specific pages go deeper than this list: birthday posters, gift ideas sorted by recipient and the fifteen worked gift ideas each pair a line with a reward and a reason it lands.
Choosing a tone
The same photo and the same layout can read as a tribute or as a takedown. The tone is set entirely by one line, so decide it before you write.
The roast
Names a real flaw and enjoys it. Reserve it for close friends and long-running jokes. Roast a habit, never an insecurity — the format prints in heavy type and amplifies whatever it is given.
The backhanded compliment
Accuses someone of something admirable. The safest register by a distance, and the right one for colleagues, in-laws and anyone you know less well.
The absurd
Ignores the person entirely and commits to a ridiculous premise. Works best when the photo is deadpan; the flatter the face, the funnier the accusation.
Reward lines
The reward block is the biggest wasted space on most posters. It should be a second joke that comments on the first, not a round number. Ten that work:
- $1,000,000 and an explanation
- $0.50, paid late
- One pint, no questions asked
- The trophy, obviously
- Return to sender, married
- One night off
- Your desk, if you come back
- One edible dinner
- Half a sandwich
- Everything, on request
The pattern to notice: the funniest rewards are either absurdly large, insultingly small, or not money at all. A plain "$10,000" does nothing that the crime line has not already done.
Four rules that improve any line
Be specific, not clever
A line that names something real about the person always beats a better-written generic joke. Specificity is what makes the recipient feel seen rather than merchandised.
Cut until it hurts
Under eight words. Remove the first three words of your draft and check whether it got worse — usually it got better.
Use a deadpan photo
The joke lives in the gap between the serious layout and the trivial accusation. A neutral expression widens that gap; a person already laughing narrows it. The photo checklist covers the rest.
Read it out loud
If you hesitate anywhere in the sentence, the line is too long or the joke needs explaining. Both problems are fixed by cutting, never by adding.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see a wanted poster example or a sample?
This page is the sample gallery: 50+ crime lines and reward lines organised by personality and occasion. Each one is a ready-to-use template you can paste into the editor with a photo, or adapt into something specific to your person.
How do I turn one of these lines into my own?
Keep the shape and swap the detail. "Wanted for legendary lateness" becomes "Wanted for the 8:15 that leaves at 8:45" once you add something only that person does. The specific version always beats the generic one.
How long should the crime line be?
Under about eight words. The line has to be read at a glance from across a room, and anything longer stops looking like a notice and starts looking like a caption.
What should I put as the reward?
A second joke that comments on the first. A huge sum celebrates, a humiliating sum roasts, and a non-monetary reward such as "one pint, no questions asked" usually beats both.
Can I use the same idea for several people?
Yes, and matching sets are one of the best uses of the format. Keep one style and one size across the group, change the photo and the crime line, and hang them in a grid.
How much does it cost to make one of these?
The digital download is $4.95 — a 300 DPI print-ready PDF and PNG you can print yourself at any size. A shipped premium print on 250 gsm matte stock is an optional extra from $19.99.
Found your line? It takes about three minutes.
Upload a photo, paste the line, set the reward, and watch the poster redraw as you type. Download a free watermarked preview to check it at full size, then take the clean 300 DPI file for $4.95. A shipped premium print is optional, from $19.99.
Start my wanted poster