Outdoor Banner Design Tips
How do you design an outdoor banner? It gets easier with these seven tips from NextDayFlyers! Brush up on these banner design pointers and be on your way to creating an excellent banner whether for an outdoor or indoor setting.
7 Tips on How to Design Outdoor Banners
An outdoor banner is a lot like a headline — it has to be catchy and engaging enough to turn heads and drive people into your store. It’s easy to assume that designing an outdoor banner is exactly like creating one meant for indoor use, but we beg to differ. Without any more fuss, let’s dive into seven tips on how to optimize your outdoor banner design.
- Be clear with your banner’s purpose
- Consider your banner’s location
- Pick the right materials and accessories
- Keep your message simple yet catchy
- Bring out your brand elements
- Choose a readable font
- Use stunning and high-resolution images
Is your banner meant to announce a new product, a clearance sale, or updated business hours? Do you want to show support for your community by creating a banner for your local sports team? Are you out to help campaign an advocacy? Being clear about what your banner must accomplish will help you set the tone for the overall design. It will help you coordinate your banner’s colors, fonts and text sizes, art style, and images. It also helps you set design boundaries so that you or your designer are clear on what’s acceptable and what isn’t — a safety net of sorts for when you need to go back to the drawing board.
Your banner size highly depends on it. When picking out a post to put your banner in, always check first if there are permits you need to secure, especially if you’re setting them on shared spaces. Ad placement restrictions typically cover limitations on banner size and duration so better check for those, too. Keep an eye out for spots where you can hang your banner from whether it’s between posts, from an awning, or a glass window because these will clue you in to your banner’s safety from the elements and what type of accessories you’ll need for installation.
Your banner’s location goes hand in hand with the materials that will be used to create and install your signage. Outdoor banner materials are often weather-proof, but it doesn’t hurt to be particular about the substrate you’re printing on. Mesh vinyl thrives better in windy areas because the perforated surface allows the wind to pass through without risking the banner getting torn, while thick, solid vinyl is great for long-term banner advertising because they’re incredibly waterproof and resistant to UV rays. Remember to secure your banner with durable accessories when setting up your banner, the most common ones being nylon cords, zip ties, Velcro, and suction cups. This way, they won’t become potential obstructions especially if they are in high-traffic areas.
An outdoor banner is perfect for encouraging people to visit your store or attend your event, and it’s also an effective way to mean more than what a few words could say. Come up with a sensible headline for your banner, and while you’re welcome to experiment with a witty original, you can’t go wrong with the classics such as “Everything Must Go” or “SALE!” in big, bold letters. As always, a clear message should be accompanied by a crystal-clear call to action so make sure that your audience knows what to do when they see your message, whether it’s to dine at your café, get tickets to your gig, or donate to your fundraiser.
Using distinctive features such as logos, brand colors, typography, and taglines will make it easier for your audience to recognize your banner and your brand. That being said, don’t let the basics stop you from experimenting with design. It’s perfectly acceptable to use eye-catching colors such as shades of reds and yellows to announce special offers or to use graphics to highlight holiday events and seasonal celebrations.
Outdoor banners can only hold so much attention, so make sure your audience can read, whether on foot or in a moving vehicle. It’s common for banners to bear a decorative font for their headlines and you can do that, too! Be sure, though, to use a readable font for the body text – this may include the promo duration, participating branches, list of performers, beneficiaries, guest speakers, your contact details – the works. Use a readable font for the body text – this may include the promo duration, participating branches, list of performers, beneficiaries, guest speakers, your contact details – the works. It’s also important that your texts are big enough to be seen from a distance; a 10-20-yard distance from a banner installed on a fence is a good baseline.
You can either go for studio-grade photos or stock images from the internet on your banner, just make sure that you use high-resolution files lest the pictures get stretched during the design process. The same goes for your image assets such as your company logos, any brand insignias, and graphics. Finally, remember to package your files according to your printer’s specifications. A lot of printers use the four-color CMYK process when printing but it’s best to ask your printer for any file requirements before you send your design for printing.
Designing an outdoor banner requires careful consideration of various elements to ensure it effectively captures attention and communicates your message. By selecting the right materials, striking a balance between visual elements, and working with a reliable professional printer, you can create a visually appealing and impactful banner.
