Outdoor Advertising is an unique medium and messages should be specifically tuned to this format. Please review the following tips and consider them for your display design.
Product Identification
Make sure you are able to read the advertiser's name.
Short Copy
No more than 10 words total, and only five words in a headline.
Short Words
Use short words for faster comprehension.
Large & Legible Type
Remember these are viewed from 400 to 800 feet away.
Increase Line Thickness
At 600 feet, thin lines optically disappear.
Bold Colors
Being subtle at 600 feet just means it doesn't get noticed.
Simplify Everything
Focus on one key objective. Don't distract the viewer with multiple messages.
View the Design from 15 Feet
Can you read the copy clearly? This simulates viewing from the road.
Show it to Someone for only 5 Seconds
Did they understand it? This simulates driving past the billboard.
High Contrast
If you want high visibility, high contrast is the key.
It's More Effective to Make a Small Object Large
(Like a wristwatch) than to make a large object small (like a building).
Use High Resolution, High Quality Images
Images for billboard use should be very carefully selected. After all, this image could end up being over 48 feet wide! Defects in the image will be magnified at this large size. Resolution is also very important. Low resolution images (from a website for example) will "pixelate" when enlarged so be sure to use images that have been scanned at the proper resolution (typically above 300 dpi but final sizing depends on printed output resolution and design layout.)
Color Visibility Ranking
The chart below ranks the 14 most visible color combinations, with 1 being the most legible.
