Rate This Ad allows a billboard designer to rate a random piece of billboard artwork using the following scale: 1 (not good), 2 (below average), 3 (average), 4 (very good), 5 (great). Then the designer talks about what they may have done differently for outdoor advertising. This week’s rating is provided by Greg Callaham www.gregcallaham.com) who has over 30 years of experience in outdoor advertising design. Insider has used and endorses Callaham’s services.

SUSO

Rating: 3 (average)

• The ad shown above promotes an organization that addresses domestic violence. It’s a delicate subject and we must presume they have their reasons for presenting their message on a billboard a certain way, without photography or potentially triggering verbiage.
• This ad is a bit disjointed in the messaging and how it is presented to the target audience.
• With a word count of 24, there is just too much to read.
• Many of those words are too small to read.
• There seem to be two billboard ideas jammed into one billboard: awareness and the superhero idea. This ad earns a 3 (average).

As always, I do not know the details of the art request or components of the campaign this ad may or may not have been part of. But looking at this challenge with the eye of an OOH graphic designer and through the lens of the target audience, I would have urged the advertiser to run the ad pictured below to promote the same or a similar message:

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