Billboard Design: Campaigns that Pop
Your billboard design is one of the most important aspects of a successful advertising campaign. There are certain industry standards to take into account when thinking through your billboard advertising campaign. While billboards are a form of print advertising, the amount of time a potential advertiser has to view your ad is limited to about 8-10 seconds max. In addition, studies tell us the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. That’s why we work so hard to make sure your design expresses your message perfectly!
Key Billboard Design Tips:
Message: Your message should be 7-10 words or less. The more words used, the less likely your design will be viewed. Your message is the most important part of the design. It can be a phrase, a call to action, or a tagline that catches your potential customers attention and moves them to action. Use short words. If any, choose one point of contact, direct them to your website, phone number or address. If you try and add all three, your design will be cluttered and difficult to read.
Fonts: THINK BIG AND BOLD! Don’t use thin fonts or script fonts. The strokes of the characters of these fonts are too thin to be seen from any distance. Use heavy, bold, LARGE fonts to maximize readability. The bold option is an excellent way to add weight and emphasis to your wording.
Colors: High color contrast is a key ingredient. Just like using large text, the right color combination can make your message readable from a much longer distance. Refer to the design samples below for some of the best text color contrast combinations.
Additional Thoughts:
The best billboard designs are simple, bold, creative, and often funny. To understand how your design will read to people driving down the highway, put your design through the eye test. Place your design 10 to 15 feet away and observe it for 5 to 7 seconds. If you can grasp the message in only 5 to 7 seconds, your design will be effective from the road.
*Keep in mind that a design on a screen in front of you or one printed, held in your hand, is always easier to read than a billboard at 60 MPH. If you’re struggling to distinguish between a design background and text while holding a design in your hand, it will definitely be difficult to read driving down the road.
Images: Choose an image that generates the strongest emotion related to your product or service. For example, an image of people having a fun time will get more attention from viewers than just a picture of your product. This way, the viewer will be more stimulated by the feel and experience of what the image portrays. Images need to be high quality and high resolution. Images are increased greatly in size and will pixelate if the resolution is too low. Your logo or business name should be very readable on the sign. A great message will be lost if no one knows who is delivering the message.
Ready to discuss your next billboard campaign with us? Check out our locations map for billboards in your area and contact us today!
