Investing in banner printing is an excellent way to promote a sale, a specific product, or just your business in general. It’s a tried and true method that’s stood the test time with ease. However, before you can hang your banner and reach out to customers, you have to design it. Here are some tips for designing your printed banner that help you get the most out of your investment while avoiding some common pitfalls.
1. Choose the Right Size Banner
Getting the size right is possibly the most important step to take, and therefore should be a chief focus in the beginning. While making this choice, consider where you’ll be placing your banner. You’ll want a size that’s big enough to be readable without crowding the space, or small enough to fit without losing its overall effect. Finding a balance can be tough, but a little planning can go a long way during this early planning stage.
2. Size Up Your Text
Your banner’s text is likely the part of the display that’s most directly getting your message across. Therefore, you need to make sure that the text is easily readable to get the best results at a distance. If the text is too small to be read by a passerby, they’ll overlook the message entirely and you’ll miss out on potential customers, which is the last thing you want. Therefore, make sure that your text is readable and is the chief focus of your banner.
3. Pick a Simple, Easy to Read Font
Your large text won’t do you any good if you select a font that’s simply unreadable. Sure, script fonts and some of the more playful options tend to have a lot of personalities, but in general, they are difficult to read, especially in passing or at a distance. Try to keep your font choices simple. In general, sans-serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri are easy-to-read options that look clean and professional on banners. Bolding the font can help maintain readability, too.
4. Only Use Images if They’re Needed
Images can look excellent on a banner, but in the name of simplicity, they should only be used if absolutely necessary. It’s always a good idea to include your brand logo, of course, but complicated graphics of people or places sometimes detract from the message you’re trying to relate to customers rather than adding to it or highlighting it. Before throwing an image onto your banner just for the sake of it, take the time to consider its relevance to your message and your brand as a whole. If there’s any doubt about it fitting in well, it might be best to leave it out for the time being.
5. If You Use Images, Be Sure to Use High-Quality Images
In the event that you’re using images on your banner design, ensure they’re high-end. Graphics and pictures are proven to help draw peoples’ eyes, especially when they involve faces and clear expressions. However, the last thing you want their eyes to be drawn to is a sized-up pixelated mess. Designing your banner at the proper size for print can help you avoid this issue, as you can buying any stock images you’re using from a high-end site. If you’re unsure about how to go about avoiding pixilation, working with professionals can be helpful.
6. Keep Your Messaging Simple and Concise
Simplicity is key when it comes to the successful design of any sorts, a concept that’s especially true for banners. Again, most of your audience will be walking or driving by, so your message needs to be straightforward and easy to take in at a glance. That means cutting out anything that’s not strictly necessary. Rather than putting paragraphs up on a banner, boil it down to the bare basics of the sale or service. Providing an intriguing minimum of information also encourages customers to come in and learn more about what’s being advertised, earning you more foot traffic in your store.
7. Make Sure You Know What You’re Advertising
This seems like an obvious one, but you should know what, exactly, you’re looking to portray with your banner before you design it. This helps you plan out what to include and what to leave out so that your final product can most effectively get its message across. For example, if you’re just looking to make your brand or store more visible, a large, simple banner with your company name and logo will typically suffice. Including information about sales or details about services only dilutes the message and makes your banner look more crowded and less focused. Know your goal when designing your banner and stick strictly to information that pertains to it.
8. Always Stay True to Your Brand
Throughout the entire process, you need to keep your branding in mind. Is your brand bright, vibrant, and colorful? Is it suave and elegant? Or do you tend toward simple family values? Your advertisements should reflect these values in the colors, fonts, graphics, and even wording it uses. This is also helpful in making the banner stick to a central theme so the final product looks cohesive and professional.
9. Remember Your Target Audience
When you create advertisements, you’re looking to grab the attention of a specific target audience. Ideally, the way your banner is laid out should appeal to this intended group at a glance. If your intended customer is from a younger demographic, for instance, you may want to consider using brighter, more eye-catching colors, while customers from an older demographic are more likely to respond to simple, traditionally-styled banners and advertisements. Pink touches on your banner generally mark it as a larger point of interest for women while blues and grays traditionally appear more to men. Take this into account while selecting your fonts and colors so you can attract the type of customer who will be most receptive to your business.
10. Use the Right Color Combinations
When it comes to marketing, colors are more important than you think. The human mind associates different colors with different emotions and concepts, and this plays a huge part in creating effective advertisements for any business. Understanding what each color means can help you choose an appropriate palette for the mood you want to portray with your banner.
- Purple: royalty, wealth, wisdom
- Red: passion, urgency
- Pink: love, sweetness, infants
- Blue: peace, tranquility, water
- Black: authority, stability
- Yellow: cheerfulness, haste
- Orange: Urgency, vivacity
- Green: health, nature, power
- Brown: nature, humility, balance
- White: safety, purity
- Gray: neutrality, practicality, solidarity
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Look into the psychology of colors and use this information to peruse a number of color palettes online to choose the right balance for the message you’re trying to portray with your banner.
Following these tips can help make your banner design look better and work more effectively in any setting. After the design’s done, it’s time for printing. Contact RushFlyers for all of your banner needs. Whether it’s an expertly printed banner or design services you need, the company’s experts have you covered. If you don’t feel up to the task of designing your own banner, Rush Flyers even offers a custom design service, which provides you with a professional-looking advertisement that meets all of the above criteria.