There is a good chance that you have driven down a large boulevard or freeway and stared at all the billboards. These massive signs hawk everything from clothing to life insurance. Sure, billboards become staples of a city’s landscape, but there is a reason why they are so popular: they are incredibly effective. Some of the world’s most traveled thoroughfares are traversed by thousands of people each day, which translates to a lot of exposure. Have a product to sell or a service to offer? You may see a huge spike in sales by renting billboard space and placing an advertisement. Here is how to design a billboard for your business.
First and foremost, you want to know what the size of the billboard is. From there, you will open up your design file and create a digital canvas with that size in mind. If you aren’t sure what the size is, you may want to ask the billboard owner or representative that is placing your advertisement. In most cases, it will have a longer width than height and the file will need to have an incredibly high resolution – your billboard will be transferred onto vinyl and it will be stretched.
Next, you want to think of the billboard in relation to the street that it is over. Are you trying to capture foot traffic or car traffic? If you are trying to capture car traffic, you will need limited text. A billboard intended for motorists passing by needs to capture attention right away. Ideally, you want the image to have more images than anything else. In terms of text, you may even want to go a three dimensional route to really make your billboard standout. For instance, a company like Royal Sign will be able to use raw materials, like metal and wood, to give your billboard a third dimension that will really capture people’s attention. If your billboard is intended for people walking by, you can go the same route, but you may want to add more text.
Also, it is important to think of the hierarchy of information on your billboard. Typically, you want the most important information to have the biggest text. You have to remember that when you make a billboard, you have to assume people will only pay attention for a few seconds. Considering this, you may want your biggest text to either be your business’s name or your tagline. Whatever the case is, people will search both and there is a good chance that customers will find your business. Once you have that information laid out, you can continue to add other information using a smaller font weight.
As you can see, designing a billboard is all about capturing people’s attention. You want people to see your billboard and then be inspired to do business with your company. When it comes down to it, demanding people’s attention requires forethought and creativity. In the end, the goal is to spark interest – so get creative, use color, be brash – do what you can to get people to visit your store or website.
