Suggestions, Comments & More from an Out-of-Home Print Media Expert

Personal taste is one thing, but to us bad ads are ones you can’t read, can’t figure out what they’re advertising and in general ones that don’t positively move the needle for the client!

What makes Jeff Moore an “expert”?

30 years ago Jeff began his career as an Out-of-Home media specialist for D’Arcy advertising.  From placing Budweiser billboards across the country to heading up all Out-of-Home for Corona beer’s ad agency Jeff has been part of many a memorable campaign.  Later Jeff helped introduce large format digital printing to the world and continues to lead in that field.

BILLBOARDS

A creative genius (Wally Armbruster, former D’Arcy worldwide creative director) told Jeff that all advertising ideas would benefit if they were first created as billboard ads.  If you can’t create an effective billboard design then you haven’t identified your key message he said.

Rules, particularly in advertising, are meant to be broken.  The only rule that matters is designing an ad that fulfills the client’s need.  It must sell whether they’re selling an idea or a product.

Many Outdoor experts say don’t use more than 7 words. Sometimes you have to use a few more, but remember, this is not a magazine . It will be seen for only a few seconds by an audience moving at speed! Using too many words is one of the biggest no no’s in Outdoor design.

Keep the font large and readable from a distance. Fancy and small font sizes just don’t work at 300 feet and 60 miles an hour. Stick your draft layout on a wall and walk past it glancing at it only briefly. Could the average person read it and make sense of it? Too many billboard designs fail this test!

Capture your company essence in a phrase. A billboard doesn't require grammatical polish. A catchy phrase may be enough.

Most billboards are in places to capture the attention of “moving” auto traffic.  Because of this, your design needs to get the message across in a simple effective way that not only intrigues customers but lets them know how to get to you.

Colors that evoke positive emotional reactions in people work well in Outdoor.  It’s important to use colors that are seen at various times of the day since the billboard will be working morning, noon and night. It’s also VERY important to use colors with contrast, particularly with type and background.  For example, black on red is not high contrast, yet we’ve seen it used on many occasions.  See the chart below for contrast examples.

Another way to look at Outdoor design is the acronym D-R-I-V-E: Direct, Relevant, Immediate, Vivid, and Easy.

Direct: The best billboards focus on a single message and deliver it with very few words.  They are punchy with large, easy-to-read type.  They are the only billboards that can actually communicate with distracted drivers passing at 65 mph.

Relevant: Advertising is either relevant or invisible.  Is your message relevant to this audience?

Immediate: Advertising gets more effective as you shorten the distance between exposure to the ad and the consumer's ability to act.

Vivid: Bright and bold stands out.  Bright colors work well, but limit your pallet to two or three at most.  Signs with multiple bright colors are confusing.

Easy: Make your billboard easy to read.  Use large, legible type.  Use solid backgrounds with sharply contrasting type.  Orient your type horizontally.  It's easier to read.  Line breaks add time and effort.

Of course there’s always More, that’s why We are here!  If you want more, just give us a call.

VEHICLE WRAPS, FLEET GRAPHICS & OTHER MOVING OBJECTS

Design tips, suggestions and more are in the works.