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. Billboard Insider uses and endorses Callaham’s services.

White Lake Marina

Rating 3 (average)

• A large photo of a boat attracts the attention of the target audience.
• The curved edge makes the ad visually interesting.
• The ad is more difficult to read than it should be. While the business name is large, it’s in a script font. Script fonts are usually verboten for multiple words in outdoor advertising, although sometimes one expected word or phrase in script can be used for emphasis. When the advertiser insists on script, go with the simplest script possible.
• The verbiage in the black box is all caps and a bit on the small thin side, making the features of the business difficult to read.
• The contact info at the bottom is a similar size and in a styled font that makes the 2s almost look like 9s to passersby.
• 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:

• The photo stays the same, but the features have been simplified and turned into the headline so the target audience immediately know what benefits to expect from the advertiser.
• Next is the business name so the target audience knows where to find those benefits.
• The first three words of the business name are in a simple script font with the last two words smaller underneath.
• The contact info is simplified to the URL where all additional info can be found.

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