Billboards and large-scale banners are perhaps one of the
most widely used forms of communication to speak to a wider audience. However,
they too require in-depth research and a deep knowledge about the target
audience before the design process begins.
With increasing reliance on digital processes for all
advertising needs, crucial design inputs are necessary for developing anything
for print. Listed below are some of the vital factors a designer must keep in
mind when starting a print signage campaign.
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The message
As with all forms of advertisement, knowing the customer is
integral to designing it. Once this is done, the carefully formulated message determines the design
and makes the banner. Questions like the following are helpful in this regard.
Is your banner going to share new information, or reinforce
what they already know? Is it part of an ongoing campaign or a one-time
promotion? Is it about the product or a special service? Where is the banner to
be located? What is the viewing distance? The answers to each of these
questions can help fine-tune the most effective type of design.
Configuration of graphic files
v Viewing distance: Large-format digital printing
requires specific configurations compared to other types of printing. If the
viewing distance is 10 feet or less, some of the details must be legible. In
such a case, its good to go with 100 ppi (pixels per inch) or more, and lesser
if the viewing distance is less. This is because, the dots per square inch is
relative to the eye: the closer the
viewer is to the image, the smaller the dots appear, and the farther the viewer
moves, the larger the dots appear.
v Colour mode: The preferred colour
mode must be RGB “Red, Green, and Blue” as it has many
advantages over CMYK “Cyan
(blue) Magenta (red) Yellow and Kent (black)”. RGB offers a wider range of mixing of colours,
is supported by more graphic design softwares, and are 25% smaller in size; moreover,
the files are web ready without the need for conversion.
v Canvas size: The canvas size must
be set to the full size of the signage/banner at the start. The final digital work
must be saved as a PSD (PhotoShop Document) file with all layers
flattened to a single layer at 150 dpi (dots per inch) or more.
Images and fonts
A ‘good’ graphic design – or ‘creative’ in Ad Agency parlance
– must have an optimal mix of image and text. When it comes to images, vector
graphics (PDF, EPS, AI) are the preferred format for printing.
They are determined by mathematical curves, allowing even a
small graphic to be expanded easily for large-scale prints, without losing
clarity. They also tend to have smaller file sizes when compared to their
bitmap equivalent. They are different from bitmap image formats such as JPEG,
TIFF or PNG.
Readability is the crucial determinant, when it comes to the
choice of fonts and their sizes. The basic
guideline for choosing the height of the letter is that it should approximately
be one inch per ten feet of viewing distance (10 in for 100 ft). Other factors
to focus on are the readability of font type, thickness of letters and the
white space around the text.
Executing a successful marketing campaign that features
billboards or large-scale banners demands thorough research. It forms the basis
of tactful design and clarity on how much to say to your intended audience.
Engage a reputed
creative agency, which has the necessary experience and expertise: you can
surely turn your hoarding into a
high-impact asset that yields high returns from your campaign.
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