Banners are used to make a statement and deliver a message – that’s why they have been used for millennia, and will be used for millennia to come. They’re simple, but they can be very powerful. Of course, in order for the pop up banner or pull up banner to have maximum impact, it has to be designed well – with a purpose in mind, and with your target demographic in mind.
Designing a banner starts with understanding the purpose of the roller banner; you need to be able to deliver a short, clear message in a very short time. It’s not as easy as it seems, but on the other hand, by following a few simple rules, it’s easy to come up with an effective proposition. Here are the five most important factors for outdoor and indoor banner design.
Where will you place it?
It’s important to incorporate the place and location of your banner into your design. For example, if you’re planning to tie it, make sure you have enough space reserved at the margins in order to accommodate the ties – in other words, have enough ‘empty space’. If at all possible, you may want to consider the background of where your banner is placed – so as to make your banner stand out in terms of colour (you don’t want to hang a green banner in a forest, by manner of speaking).
When less means more
Don’t crowd your banner with images and text – when it comes to delivering a message on a banner, less means more. Keep your message as simple and as straight to the point as possible. If you must use images, make sure they relate to the customer and that they don’t use space that might otherwise be used more effectively with text.
Fonts are important
Stick to a two-font design; one for the headline and one for the other text. Don’t overcrowd. Be bold and be clear.
Invoke action
“Call us,” “Visit us,” “Ask us how” – followed by contact information. This is very powerful; include it. Invoke action.
Indoor vs. outdoor
Use bright colours outdoors, subdued colours indoors. Indoors, such as for pop up banner stands, you’re allowed more text – but still, keep it to a minimum.
Take a look around – go on the streets, go to markets, visit trade shows. You’ll see plenty of roll up banners and pull up banners, and you will also notice what they are meant to do. Almost immediately you’ll get an impression about whether a certain banner is more likely to be successful or not; the banner should be simple and evoke emotions with a simple glance. Your task, when designing the banner, is to do exactly that: get noticed, get the person excited, and get the person to do something. Keep it attractive, simple and clear, and chances are your banner will be very effective.