Billboard Designs: How Can You Make Them Effective in This Digital Age?

Billboards have been around since time immemorial. These are probably the most effective form of print advertising. That is why advertisers still spend tons of their resources creating compelling billboard designs even in the digital age. It has become an even more competitive landscape today, especially with the rise of design companies like Delesign.

But why is billboard advertising still largely relevant today? What makes it effective? What kind of designs and brand messaging attract an audience? How is it better than digital marketing?

Billboard Advertising and Why You Need Better Billboard Designs

Billboard advertising is a form of print advertising that uses a large-scale print to promote a product, company, or service and communicate a brand message. Digital screens, where various advertisers can purchase a space, have also become prominent today. We can trace the earliest use of this advertising technique back to as early as the mid-19th century. However, it was only in the 20th century when billboards gained traction.

Strategically, billboards are located in areas with high traffic. That is why you can often see them in large urban districts, in hopes of appealing to a wide audience. Unlike digital ads that people can easily skip, billboards are entirely unavoidable. People will have to pass by them whether they like it or not. They are large, loud, and impossible to ignore. As such, billboards usually have the highest number of impressions among all print advertising techniques.

Billboard advertising has evolved over the years. With millions of brands on the rise and the decline of a human’s average attention span, it has become an increasingly competitive space. To ensure that every billboard is effective, advertisers need to be more innovative. Having to think outside the box might even be an understatement.

The Secret to Effective Billboard Designs

What exactly are the ingredients for creating effective billboard designs? Keep in mind the following pointers:

Effective billboard designs convey a simple brand story

People love a good story, especially when they relate to it. Your audience only has a few seconds to absorb billboard content. When choosing the heart of your message, ask yourself, “what do I want people to take away from this? What do I want people to do after they see this?”

Your story could be anything. It could address a problem or need that people never even thought they had or provide relevant information. It could even elicit a response or emotion.

To ensure effective delivery, you would want to keep it simple yet powerful. Take Nike, for example. The shoemaker has a couple of billboards with just its iconic checkmark logo and the tagline, “just do it.”

Use simple words that everyone will understand. Keep it short. Remember, your audience does not have all day! Many of them will also be driving. So you do not want to take their eyes off the road for a long time. Find a way to tell a story as visually as possible, and use just 10 words or less. Like what the saying suggests, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The key here is to place yourself in the shoes of your audience. If you are passing by this billboard, will its message resonate with you? Will it resonate strongly enough to make you stop for a moment?

Keep it creative yet clean and simple

A lot of people are likely tired of seeing billboards by now. The moving traffic only has a few seconds to look at a billboard. So you really need to grab their attention in a split-second. You can do that by keeping your billboard designs creative yet clean and simple.

Do not overwhelm the audience by using too many design elements. Use color schemes that stand out in your chosen locations. Bright colors are preferred. You do not want it to fade in the background. Use big fonts that contrast nicely against the background to ensure text readability. The text should be clear and readable, even from 500 feet away. As such, you would want to avoid using serif fonts.

Billboards often come in a rectangular shape, but you can always opt for another. One sure way for it to stand out is to use protruding design elements. These will surely be eye-catching billboard designs!

Lastly, keep it clean. Otherwise, you will surely drive the audience’s attention away. Nobody will want to see your advertisement if it is a cluttered mess!

Interactive is better

Today’s technology has allowed for interactive billboards. This generates more interest and more engagement from the audience. In large cities where there are hundreds of billboards, this is another guaranteed way to stand out.

Create billboard designs in such a way that they interact with the surroundings. This is a unique and playful approach that attracts most people of all ages.

Location matters

Just because you have created an excellent billboard design does not mean it is going to work. You also need to consider where to best position it. Is it in a city that never sleeps like New York City? Is it along a highway route where there is barely any pedestrian traffic?

How can you make your design interactive given the location? How can you maximize the area to tell a powerful brand story? What color schemes work best with the surroundings?

The location also allows you to take advantage of useful information and incorporate it into your design. For example, if your ad space is located along the highway 10 miles away from the next resting stop, you can include that information in your billboard design. That will definitely draw people’s attention! Just make sure that it is clear and legible even if it does not pertain to your brand specifically.

Basically, knowing the exact location will help you decide on what kind of design elements to include. The location likely determines your potential audience, so it is an essential factor in your billboard’s success.

Advantages of Billboards

Below are some ways of how companies may benefit from billboards:

There is versatility

Today, billboards are not limited to large-scale prints. Technology has paved the way for LED screens to serve as ad spaces. If you do not have the budget to buy a huge space for a traditional billboard, you can purchase ad space in a LED display. This is a cheaper option because you are splitting the costs with other advertisers.

LED displays also allow for more creativity. You can maximize the bright colors and lights to attract more people. Your billboards can also incorporate more interactive elements. The possibilities are endless!

There is a broad audience

The good thing about billboard advertising is that it appeals to a broad, general audience, depending on the location. You do not have to tailor it for a specific target market, which is heavily required in digital marketing.

With digital advertising, your audience is limited to those with access to digital platforms. They have the option of skipping your ads as well.

Billboards, on the other hand, are largely visible. People do not have the option to skip your ad when they are passing by it. One way or another, they will have to see it.

The greater the audience and impressions generated, the higher the brand awareness created.

There is an opportunity to create and build a relationship with the consumer

Billboards allow you not just to promote a product, company, or service. They allow you to tell a brand story using as few useful elements as possible. Stories resonate more with people than whatever it is that you sell them. When you do this, you are creating and building a relationship between your brand and your market.

Competition in most industries today has become really strong. Having a healthy relationship with your consumers begins with a good brand story that speaks to them in ways that your competitors cannot.

Why Invest in Professional Billboard Designs

Digital media continue to grow, but traditional media is not going anywhere anytime soon. Billboard advertising remains to be an effective brand communication tool. It is a technique that has proven itself time and again.

Billboards can create brand awareness and generate engagement in just a second. Over time, they can be the key to maintaining a strong relationship with your consumers. They have also become an integral part of society and culture. Can you imagine the hustle and bustle in the cities without these bright and colorful advertisements? Can you imagine marketing without traditional billboards along the roads?

Indeed, billboard advertising is not cheap. It also takes a lot of creativity, innovation, and planning. Every decision can make or break your ad. It is not merely about selling but telling your brand story. On top of all that, you just have a few seconds to capture attention. The challenge is, how do you make it possible? Enlisting the help of trusted design companies like Delesign can help you create meaningful and powerful billboard designs.