Designing a banner may look like a chore, but it actually could be great fun if you keep a few simple rules in mind. Take a look around any trade show or exhibition, and you’ll see a lot of great designs. They tend to be simple, powerful, engaging, and generally quite attractive. You may also see a lot of bad designs; they are complicated, may contain too many pictures or colours, too much text or lack information, body, message, and intrigue. You’re sure to recognise the good ones and the bad ones, and the distinctions are easily made. Ever wonder how to design the perfect banner for your event? Here’s what you really need to think about when designing an exhibition banner.
Ask yourself some basic questions
Who are you? What do you stand for? Who are your customers? How can you help your customers? What do they want? What gets them excited? How can you communicate your message to them in the best way possible so they understand it clearly?
These are very important questions to ask – they will basically dictate how you go about your advertising and marketing efforts. You need to understand who you are, and what you do. “I sell pencils” is not a good answer. “I satisfy the needs of people who wish to make quality drawings” is a little closer, but still not good enough. Go far. Analyse. Who are you, and what do you do? Of course, this requires an understanding of your target market.
Ask your target audience some basic questions
Once you understand yourself, your product, and your target market, you need to create a message that is easily understood by that fabled perfect customer. Based on your research, ask yourself:
• Do we need graphics and pictures?
• How readable should the text be? (In other words, how big should the fonts be?)
• What are the preferable colours?
• Can we incorporate other technology? (Think social media, pictures, and so on)
Remember the basic rules
• Less is more – focus on getting attention rather than delivering a long message
• Use graphics to your advantage
• Be bold, proud and assertive
In case you get stuck whilst designing your banner for the exhibition or trade show, always remember that it’s often a good idea to stick to the basics; less is often more, as confirmed by exhibition banner printing specialists. Furthermore, try to adhere to the 60-30-10 designer rule when it comes to colours and graphics. Think of a man’s suit: there’s about 60% of the dominant colour (the suit itself), about 30% of the shirt, and about 10% of highlight (the tie). Proclaim your brand boldly and proudly, and never forget to include a call to action and contact details.
Image attributed to sumetho/FreeDigitalPhotos.net