This week’s podcast guest is  Out of Home Creative’s Melody Roberts. Melody discusses out of home design principles, common design mistakes, how digital and static design differ and how to effectively use a designer.  Click below to listen to the podcast on your computer or to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or one of the other podcast providers you can click on any of the links shown below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:52 — 20.9MB)

Here are some highlights of the 22 minute interview.

What are the principles of good out of home design?

Strategic placement, balance, size and color…

• Strategic placement is important because generally people read left to right.  I usually put content on the Left and imagery on the Right.  If I am designing transit that shifts a little because I’m working up to down.

• Balance is important because if you place content on the Left, imagery in the middle and more content on the Right it can appear chopped up. You don’t want to have elements off balance or aligned improperly, that can be difficult to the public on what they should focus on first.

• Color and contrast go together, and they are different depending on whether you are designing digital or traditional OOH. For traditional OOH, I wouldn’t usually put Red on a Black background because dark colors on dark colors aren’t typically visible but on digital, I would because it will POP. Another example is colors that can vibrate the eye, a Yellow font on a dark Pink background may do this, but by simply changing the Yellow to White it contrasts better. Another example is fluorescent colors – unless you are paying extra for this through the printer it will come out muted (on vinyl) because we are using four color process. However, on digital, we are using a three-color process, and the fluorescents and neons come out beautiful.

• It is helpful to understand the placement of the board and what’s behind it. If I’m designing a board where the city is behind it, I’m probably going to use more vibrant colors such as Purple, Pink, Yellow or White. If I’m designing a board that’s up in the sky (and the only thing behind it is the sky), then I don’t believe the board should be blue because it may to wash out.

• The size and scale are so important with OOH. It needs to be seen quickly for motorist facing. It’s the same with a photo. I had a client in the past that always wanted their bodies on the board.  If you’re putting a full body image on a 14 x 48 interstate billboard, you’re going to look very tiny.  My tip is to take a photograph from the chest up so you can see who the person is.

What are some common design mistakes.

• Logos and phone numbers being the emphasis on structures that are motorist facing and/or high up on the interstate.
• Unless it’s a vanity number, I don’t believe most drivers have the time to write down a phone number.
• I don’t feel that companies design their logos with OOH in mind so most of the time they don’t translate well for outdoor. The “golden egg” is when your client’s name is their website.  You can make that the focal point and the public will remember that.

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