Billboards are a key way an advertiser can promote their business that will connect with many people in an area. Ranging from a billboard on the side of a building or a sign on the highway, the messaging in billboard design is unlike a traditional advertisement. While the majority of advertising is based on the consumer being static with a sheet of paper or on their television, computer, or mobile phone, billboards are viewed by the consumer while in motion in their car upwards of 65 mph or faster. Typically, a billboard only has two to five seconds to project the messaging for the consumer to process and retain the company name, witty tagline, or other visuals that are associated with the advertiser’s branding. It may seem like the addition of more information in a billboard may make it more attractive and lead to higher results. But, it is often the case that this leads to confusion and distraction, and the consumer may not take in any of the vital information before driving by the billboard. Immerse Agency has designed billboards all over the country for some of the most visible clients. When creating a billboard for the most exceptional results, it is essential to know these seven key strategies.
1. The Magic of 3 Elements
A messy billboard will diminish its potential for retaining the critical information to be retained by the potential consumer. Limit your billboard design to three elements:
- An eye-catching headline
- Impactful image
- A simple call to action, such as the company’s website URL or phone number.
2. One Call to Action Goes a Long Way
It may sound essential to have every call of action on your billboard such as a phone number, address, AND website, but all of this information will create a cluttered billboard. Identify the most important call to action and use that. Remember, in the age of smartphones, if a consumer wants directions, they quickly can look it up right from their phone.
3. Keep It 7 Words or Less
Keep the messaging simple and easy for the consumer to comprehend the branding. Try at best to limit the number of words on a billboard to under seven as best as
possible. This word count should include the headline and call to action. Keep in mind, the viewer you are trying to reach does not have much time to take in your messaging. There is no point in making the messaging challenging to comprehend when it’s not necessary!
4. Go Big and Go Wide with Fonts
When selecting fonts for your billboard, the viewer, at a high rate of speed, can see a bold and fuller typeface better than a thin and narrow typeface. When reading over great distances, larger fonts allow viewers to more easily process your message on the billboard.
5. Make Fonts Easy to Read
Additionally, ornate or fussy fonts might be trendy or match the branding of your business, but when it comes to using various type styles on billboards, your font should be easily recognizable and able to comprehend quickly. Another tip is avoiding ALL CAPS letters, as it is less legible too. While intricate script fonts may look nice, they are extremely difficult for the eyes and brain to grasp at once over long distances.
6. Colors Should Be Contrasting
A must for easy to read messaging is high-color contrast. Primary colors like red, blue, and yellow, in addition to the standard black and white, are the best to read on a billboard. In actuality, black and yellow offer the highest rates of readability. It is best to steer away from earth tones, pastels, and browns for colors on a billboard due to its lower rating in readability.
7. Test Drive the Design
Before spending your entire budget on the full-size billboard, it is best to give it a “test drive.” Make a mockup that can be seen by employees and let them walk by quickly for only 5-10 seconds. Find out if these people can understand the messaging and retain the call to action. By doing this test, it will help determine if there are any shortfalls in the design and give you a chance to fix them before they are made to jumbo size. It is a science to create an excellent billboard design. These best practices should guide you into creating a billboard that will effectively highlight the messaging you want viewers to see. Printing and creating a billboard is an expensive way to advertise, so it is essential to have concise and exact design and imagery to ensure that the highest
the potential of customers retains your messaging.
Here at Immerse Agency we would love to speak with you about your billboard design and other marketing creative needs. Reach out to us today and let’s get started
