Nearly regardless of industry, business size, and the product or service being offered, print banners are an effective method of advertising—if they’re designed in an eye-catching, effective way.
Banners also often enjoy the benefit of longevity. Unlike a radio or television advertisements, banners will promote your message day in, day out. When placed in high-traffic or key areas, a banner can be a very effective motivator indeed.
Despite the popularity of print banners, many common mistakes are still being made. Our aim with this post is to bring these mistakes to your attention and show you how they can be avoided.
Let’s begin by examining the most common banner design mistake:
The #1 Most Important Design Element of a Successful Print Banner
The most important design element of any successful print banner, no matter how good or bad the rest of the design may be, can be summed up in a single word:
Legibility.
Well-designed banners have the following properties:
- Large enough to be seen from a desirable distance (e.g., the road, a neighboring parking lot, across a conference hall, and so on)
- Clean, legible fonts
- Fonts that are large enough
Many a prospective banner-designer has made the mistake of “over designing” their banner, making it difficult to read or confusing. Banners are a great example of when simplicity should meet elegance.
The physical size of the banner should also be taken quite seriously into account. No matter how legible the fonts or how clear the graphics are, if the banner itself isn’t large enough to be seen from the desired distance, it won’t do much good at all.
Popular banner sizes are very often 2’ by 4’ feet, 3’x6’, and 4’x8’, depending on usage scenario.
Use Minimal Colors That Interact With the Surroundings
Take a look at banners you see around town—you’ll likely notice a trend. Most banners use color quite minimally, often using only two or three primary colors. This isn’t just because it keeps printing costs down (although it does), this again adds to the legibility of the banner.
Bright colors are good to capture your target audience’s attention, but don’t overdo it. The key to a successful color scheme is often contrast. Use a background color and a foreground color. The brighter of the two will really “pop” and catch the eye.
Another consideration that’s often overlooked is where the banner will be placed and how the colors of the surrounding environment will interact with the colors of the banner. In other words, will the banner be overshadowed by the surrounding colors? For example, a beige banner on a beige background won’t stand out. Think about where your banner will be placed and pick your color scheme accordingly.
Keep Your Verbiage Concise
Banners are most effective when they convey a single idea or message in the simplest, fastest way possible, especially if the banner is to be placed outside. Pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and so on may only have a few seconds to absorb the most important information on your banner, but this applies for indoor banners too—people are busy and may only glance at it for a few moments before moving on.
Work on editing down your message to as few words as possible, focusing on the key message or what your brand brings to the table.
A good way of thinking about how to hone in on this message is to ask yourself, “What is the primary goal of this banner?”
Common goals and follow up questions to ask might include:
- Bringing more foot traffic into your physical location. Why should passersby come in? How does the message on your banner inspire them to do so?
- Get a phone call. Is your phone number legible? What are the benefits of calling?
- To attend an event. What about the event is most important? What can attendees expect?
- To promote a sale or limited-time offer. What discount or benefit would motivate a potential customer?
- To draw attention to your booth or area at a trade event. What do you have that other booths don’t?
Understanding the key message will help bring together the other design elements of your banner, including exactly how to convey that message.
How to Print High Quality Banners to Improve Your Business
For more tips and tricks about how to design the perfect eye-catching banner for your business or event, please feel free to contact the knowledgeable professionals at Preferred Document Solutions.
Our team serves businesses of all sizes throughout Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and we’d be more than happy to help you with all of your print banner needs! Please feel free to contact us at (719) 634-1134 or request a no-obligation quote.
