We all might think that the days of physical adverts and advertising are over, but nothing can be further from the truth. Even something as seemingly archaic as billboards have a significance in their uses. That is why we need to tell you how to design an effective billboard ad.
An Effective Billboard Ad is First Designed Digitally
Billboards are still a crucial aspect of the advertising and marketing campaigns of modern-day companies and enterprises. Almost all companies and organizations want to have their name put in large letters outside in spaces where passers-by can see them as the drive.
Effective billboard ads are used as a significant channel of communication for both potential new customers and existing ones, just as any advertisement campaign does. Where there is disadvantage in billboards for being in a single location, it can be offset by two things; one is that multiple billboards of the same ad can be used, and that a billboard is visible day and night, and does not get ‘shut off’ the way a digital device would be.
Of course, since it is most viewed by commuters who need to keep their focus on the road, there are plenty of aspects to consider for an effective billboard ad is to make it short and simple so that someone on the go can view it without it requiring their full attention.
Tips for Designing an Effective Billboard Ad
More often than not, people tend to take the same routes for their daily commutes, whether it is on their way to work, or for anything else. This can give companies and organizations the opportunity to add significant depth to their marketing that creates a truly effective billboard ad.
However, the reality is still that even an effective billboard ad do not have the leeway or the legroom to be able to be intricate or complicated. They have to be simple and easy to digest, something that catches the viewers attention but does not outright necessitate it. Due to how fast cars are moving, signs and billboard ads are designed to be large, because in speed, it is easier to read large text because you don’t need to be too close to it to be able to make out the words.
Therefore; simplicity is paramount to a great and effective billboard ad design.
There is Always the Option for a Digital Billboard Ad
Nowadays, there aren’t just physical and static billboards that we are used to. Digital billboards can be both small and large like the traditional billboard, with the smaller ones being able to be put in storefronts and on the street, facilitating an audience otherwise unreachable through those billboards.
There is also the added benefit of being able to change what the ad shows, and to have a short, video-based ad displayed on the digital billboard.
This, of course, adds in new challenges and new benefits to designing an effective billboard ad. While a digital billboard is far more cost-efficient and agile-friendly for advertisers, you need to design it differently to the static billboard because it needs to be different to be an effective billboard ad.
Although they are quite similar, there are multiple differences and variations in designing for a digital billboard ad in opposition to a traditional, static billboard and its ads.
Go Simple or Go Home
An effective billboard ad owes much of its efficacy to its simplicity. Similar to how a logo should be simple and easy to memorize, or that a slogan should not be too complicated and catchy, an effective billboard ad uses those items and amalgamates into a simple advertisement that viewers can easily digest and even make decisions based on that ad.
An Effective Billboard Ad Needs Larger Text
You might see in streets and lanes that the signs on the side of the road are quite small, while on highways and larger roads, the size of the signs is much larger.
This is because of the simple fact that both distance and speed of the cars have to be taken into account when designing a billboard.
An effective billboard ad is not actually effective if it cannot be read with speed and is not legible over a certain distance. As streets and lanes have lower speed limits and slower cars, a small sign will most likely suffice. In an interstate with cars going much faster, that is no longer effective.
A bulletin needs to be legible from at least 500 feet away. That is quite a distance, but the driver’s safety has to be taken into account as well. A simple glance should be enough to let the driver read the ad and see everything else, so that they can focus on the road.
This is accomplished through larger text.
Focus on One Single Message
If you have a single marketing message or a brand message in mind for the billboard ad, stick to it. Honing in on one idea adds to the simplicity of your billboard ad, and that is a key factor in making an effective billboard ad that is both legible and easy to digest.
Outdoor marketing should have brevity. Keep to the important stuff, and filter out the rest. You don’t need to put everything in the billboard.
An effective billboard ad should be a jumping off point rather than have a call to action. Simply present your service or your product. Let the other aspects of your advertisement and marketing systems handle the rest.
Use Bold, Non-Serif Fonts
An effective billboard ad needs legible typefaces. At a distance of a few hundred feet, you absolutely cannot have three lines of overly decorative, closely put together text.
You need simple words, not sentences, to fill your billboard.
Focus on Non-Serif fonts, as they are designed to be more readable and have a larger distance between each letter by default. This is called kerning.
Moreover, the text should have a dark background or outline to separate it from the rest of the ad, which can significantly increase its readability.
Avoid Bright Backgrounds
When designing an effective billboard ad, you should focus on color the same way you do it for a website or a TV ad by using only the RGB colors for both digital and statis displays.
However, avoid using white backgrounds and generally brighter colors. That means you can use orange and blue and green, but you should not use brighter versions of them, as in the day time, they can be less legible to the passerby, and in the nighttime, even if they are lit up, they can be distracting.
For digital billboards, bright colors can be straining on the eyes, so it is important not to have colors that both strain the eyes or are too distracting.
At the same time, an effective billboard ad needs to have bright colors that are saturated but don’t distract too much. This is done through contrasting colors. Red and green, for example, don’t fit together, because they don’t contrast. In the RGB spectrum, their value is similar. Design with contrast for outdoors and large distances, making it easier for drivers to look at the billboard without straining their eyes.
There is a Specific Way to Edit Images for an Effective Billboard Ad
When it comes to picking images, an effective billboard ad already has a method in place. For one, you should not use both large objects and small objects in the same foreground.
A rule of thumb is that small objects or images, such as a watch or a boxed product, can and should be made larger.
However, larger objects, such as a car or a building, should not be made smaller. Instead, putting them in the background adds to the scene without distracting the viewer or being too much information to digest.
Of course, complex scenes should be avoided, so putting at most three or so visual elements in the ad is enough for an effective billboard a
That means putting in an image, a logo, and a tagline is enough for an effective billboard ad.
For an ad in a browser, things might be different, but an ad put outdoors does not need to consider white space. If you have to enlarge your image to fit the ad space, do it. Don’t leave space unused for your billboard ad.
Make Sure to do Some Real-World Testing
Billboard ads aren’t usually put out in ones or twos. That means you will have several billboard ads across a region or road. Using one and testing it out is an effective way of getting to know what is what, and whether or not you need to make changes.
Closure Tip : Always induce creativity in the advertisements, because those ads survive in the market that has creativity, and uniqueness induced in them. If they lack that, their customers won’t see it and move towards someone else.
- Uniqueness & Creativity
- Captivate trending topics
- Stay loyal to the branding
- Understand the alchemy of customer journey
- Make the ad clickable, and direct purchasing
The more effort you put in creating any ad, the more the audience will come to you. Bringing quality results will always end up giving benefits to the brand itself. And what else do we require from a brand on a whole.
Conclusion | Designing Effective Billboard Ad For Your Brand
There it is, an effective billboard ad. Designing them can be quite daunting, but at the same time, they provide an excellent marketing and advertising opportunity. Here, we have put forward a few tips and tricks on how to design an effective billboard ad, and we hope that your next venture in doing so will be successful! Have some questions related to launching your own billboard ad? Feel free to share in the comments section. Ensure that the ad is unique, and creative! Otherwise, you might face backlash from the audience and that’s a turning point!
