Design Tips

Keep it Simple – LESS IS MORE – Seven words or less (The Golden Rule)

  • Travelers typically have 5-10 seconds to read a billboard.
  • it’s always best to try and put something up that everyone can read, regardless of what speed they are going & before they turn their attention to something else.
  • Use short simple words with quick & easy comprehension.

Only put one call to action

  • Be direct with where you want to drive your traffic.
  • There is no need for you to put multiple ways to be contacted.
  • Don’t forget the name of your company is also a mild call to action where people can search for you online long after they’ve seen your ad.
  • Does your target audience have the necessary information to respond to your ad?

Only use readable and large fonts

  • You want people to be able to read your message.
  • The smallest recommended height for lettering on a standard 14″x48″ billboard is no less than 24 inches for visibility at 500 feet away.
  • So if the letters aren’t at least 2 feet tall, no one has is probably able to read it.
  • In addition to font size, another good rule of thumb is to use Sans-Serif fonts (meaning a font without little feet).
  • Sans-Serif fonts, like Arial, are more legible than Times New Roman.

Use bright and highly contrasting colors for fonts and backgrounds

  • Colors that have a sharp contrast or pop against each other are much more legible than those that blend together.
  • Studies have shown that using highly contrasting colors can improve recall by 38%.
  • The highest contrasting colors are black and white or black and yellow.

Ditch the phone number

  • Unless it’s a clever vanity phone number, URLs/Website are more memorable and customizable.
  • Even when people see a number, the first action they often take is to search for the company online.
  • An easy to remember URL will allow you to capture your target audience and immediately bring them into your other marketing channels.
  • This way you can continue your marketing efforts by other means, increasing your ROI.

Only use one graphic/image concept

  • If you use more than one main image for your billboard creative, you create twice as much noise.
  • A picture is worth a thousand words, and there’s no need to get two thousand in there.
  • It is just too much and too distracting from any message you’re trying to convey.

Don’t be BORING

  • No matter what your style is, try to get out of your comfort zone & do your best to be memorable.
  • The key to Billboard Advertising is recall, your message has to be remembered.
  • Be sure when you start your creative process to always keep this in mind when constructing your message.
  • It’s always best to rely on the experts (LIND Media) to help you get your message across to consumers.

Keep your Microsoft / Publisher files

  • Please supply “High-Resolution” images & logos.
  • Using good imagery only improves attention & readability.
  • Microsoft applications produce Low-Resolution imagery and do not enlarge very well.
  • Rely on Lind Media to help you choose the right files to use for the right impact!