The Top Six Out of Home Design Tips

Billboard Insider carries articles by out of home companies and agencies on billboard design.  Here are the top six top out of home advertising creative tips we’ve culled from a review of the 20 most recent articles we’ve published by other people on our of home design.

Too many words. Too many messages.

1. Be Concise (15/20): The less information displayed, the faster drivers will comprehend your message, and the more likely they’ll be to remember it. Most sites agree you should aim for seven words or less in your headline

2. Focus on One Message (15/20): A billboard ad needs to be simple. Do not try to convey multiple ideas or messages.  Focus on one key idea and convey it as clearly as possible. Your average viewer traveling 70 miles an hour.  Your message needs to be clear.

3. Make Your Font Readable (14/20): Use a large and easy to read typeface. Avoid fonts with thin strokes or ornate designs. As Zak Mroueh of Aulu Alpha Kilo explains in Open 3, “For a standard 10 x 20 ft billboard, if you count a maximum of 22 characters across from left to right, including spaces, it will always be readable…If mathematics isn’t your strong suit, there’s another technique that never fails: whatever the art director designs, make it 25% bigger.”

Contrasting Colors

4. Use Contrasting Colors (13/20): Contrast makes your ad memorable. Lamar for instance refers to research indicating high color contrast improves out-of-home advertising recall by up to 38%. Penneco adds that bold, fully saturated colors make a billboard stand out, while neutral and pastel colors blend in with the scenery

5. Quality Images are Key (11/20): A compelling picture can carry an ad. Use big, impactful images that will print well at billboard size. Many outdoor advertisers recommend images be 300 DPI minimum

6. Be Innovative and Creative (6/20): Consider using humor, top-outs, side-outs, or extensions, or other unconventional integrations to make a unique and memorable billboard. After all, no one remembers dull.

Put it all together and you get the Rapala ad below.  Concise.  Bold colors. One message.  Great image.  Humor.  Great use of extensions.

 

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