The moment has come. The time is now. You have a huge event about to get underway. It could be a grand opening for your new business, a church event, or something entirely different. Regardless of what your new banner will be used for, your custom banner design should be in your immediate thought process.
What Your Banner Design Should Include:
Your banner needs to have on it some key elements:
- Text, but not a lot (we’ll get to that)
- An image
- Contact information (drive people to buy in the most effective way)
As far as text goes, one of the first things to think about is where that banner will be placed. It will help determine the size of your banner as well as how large the letters need to be. If it’s going to be displayed close to the road where you can garner both foot traffic and people in vehicles, that’s optimum. If it’s even just 30 feet away from the street, letter size and height will need to be increased. Know this…a driver travelling at just 35 MPH will only be able read a sign with four-inch-high letters for about four seconds. That makes it very difficult to take in a message. Here’s a graphic to provide you with car speeds as it relates to the letters on your banner.
You most obviously need to have your company or organization name on there. You need that immediate identifier on your banner design so people know who you are. If that number one critical element is not on there, you will have only provided ambiguity. And you will lose probably 98% of potential interest. If you have a connection to a union or are accredited by the BBB, something of that nature—you can sneak that on your banner. It lets people know there’s a little something extra special about your company. But keep that image small.
You need a featured image. People in this country learn visually. In fact, 65% of them. If you have only one banner image (which we recommend), you have to decide on what will work for you. An example of a logo that would be the choice image would be the NIKE swoosh.
It’s a logo that’s recognized worldwide. If you’re a new business, or relatively unknown, consider making that image your product. An example of that would be if you have a small fruit stand, and your strawberries are big, juicy works of art, that might very well be the way to go. It’s a choice and a decision you’ll want to really dig deep on. NIKE’s logo is their identifier. Products that you sell might work better for you than your company logo.
Contact information is important when looking to attract new customers. This element will need thought put into it. Your street address might be terrific if you feel it will be the best way in which to interact. That can get tricky though. Suppose your address is the fictitious one:
5482271 Winnchesterton Park Avenue
That’s one tough read for someone driving by at 45 MPH, and impossible to remember. If you want to personally give customers the needed information, or if you’re strong at closing a sale verbally, put your phone number on the custom banner.
If you have an image of something you sell, but you carry several different products you peddle, displaying your website might be the best route to take. If you can get them to your site to purchase something else you sell and they buy anything, you’ve won. One of these choices coupled with your store hours will be fine unless your hours of operation are different every day. Can you say clutter?
Lastly, you’ll want a call to action on that banner. If it’s a sale on a particular item or 45% of every item you carry, the call to action becomes easy. If you want to send a message that will resonate with your store or product, it needs to be something different. Word alliteration is a great way to go because it’s easy for the mind to recall. Let’s go back to the strawberry stand for our example. Three words, “Plump, Not Pricey,” is now engrained in potential clients’ minds. They know you sell some very juicy berries that cost less than their local chain supermarkets.
There are other ways to deliver a call to action that can leave people wanting your product. Staying with the strawberry theme, a simple but effective, “Fresh Daily From Our Farm” can give off the impression that your product isn’t shipped in from four states away. Anyone who likes strawberries will be very attracted to that kind of call to action.
So, play with some ideas. Write them down. Bounce them off friends and family to get a feel on what would drive them to your company. Go online to see what competitors’ calls to action are on their sites. If all that doesn’t give you the inspiration, our sales team can help upon request.
Color & Its Role With Your Banner Advertising:
Color is as important as any element regarding banner design. You’ll have the color of your logo there, but there’s a whole lot more that goes into planning your banner ad. We’ll be concise here, but please, for your success, heed our advice. Contrast the color of print with the banner itself. Light text on a light banner will be lost. Dark on dark? Same. What you write in your banner design has to be perceptible. Those two scenarios make it nearly impossible for your message to be seen—if it can’t be made out up close, understand that people driving by will have no shot to make catch your words.
Contrast is key for the success of your banner ad campaign. There was a study on color contrast and readability of signage done by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. They provided results that we’ve known for years. To get you en route to sign success, here are the top 5 color combinations.
Effective Banner Designs:
You may never have had to design a banner. With that, you may be wondering how and where you can find some good examples of designs and looks. We have designs for several types of banners on our website.
We also have a handy and user-friendly design tool that you can experiment with. It lives on the banner product pages. You’ll see a blue rectangle that says, “Get Started.” Click on that and you’re off and running.
When you’re out and about, take a look around. Drive to businesses like yours and see what they’re doing. See what banners draw your eye, and take note of what they did, what the color combination and font is on theirs.
Safety Awareness Banners- Don’t think too hard. What colors are on a STOP sign? The answer likely came to you in less than one second. As long as we’ve driven, we’ve seen STOP signs. We’ve been conditioned by them. Why? The color contrast and the use of red. We associate red with danger. We react immediately to it. Using red on a safety awareness banner is a good idea.
Visuals are smart ideas for safety awareness banners. Remember the statistic from earlier about visual cues and people’s association with them. If there’s an area that can potentially be flammable, flames on a safety banner is smart. If there’s a place that your banner reads something like, “Protect Your Eyes,” a picture of safety glasses/goggles will grab attention.
Verbiage is a good way to get your point across…just not too much of it. You can aptly go with big, bold lettering (that contrasts with the color of the background). A banner can read things like, “See Something, Say Something,” or, “Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls.” Another clever idea for a safety banner message is to put in a memorable message or one that rhymes. Those are catchy and they will stick in people’s minds. You can run with something like, “Avoid the Worst. Put Safety First,” or “Safety is No Accident.”
Step and Repeat Banners- These are also known as Hollywood banners. They are fantastic uses for drumming up more business—a lot more. Additionally, they’re great for many social events. With regard to the latter, think of one or more that you’ve gone to, and the single thing that didn’t have you leave with a tangible memory that’s lasting. The answer to that could very well be a picture. Step and Repeat banners deliver more than a drab photo with a white wall in the background. Anything can be printed on a creative banner like this. And now, the background has a theme or a message, and it adds flavor to the picture.
For business purposes, Step and Repeats can be used for things like corporate events and use for a booth you rent at a trade show. Envision the exposure you’ll garner with one of these, the attraction and attention you’ll get. If you have a nicely or uniquely designed banner, people will stop to learn more. You can earn future sales, and perhaps some immediate ones. The return on investment for this inexpensive item can soar to previously unthought of heights.
This type of banner will draw photo-ops. Might not sound like that big of a deal. But…people do enjoy taking those selfies. A published white paper reports that 350 million photos are uploaded every day on Facebook alone. Never underestimate the power of social media. Of course those aren’t all people snapping these pics in front of business banners. But let’s say that just 1/10th of one percent are. That equates to 3.5 million every day. And what do those people do with those uploaded pictures? They share them with their friends. Those friends share them with their friends, and so on. Can you comprehend the free, organic growth that a Step and Repeat banner can earn you? Let that marinate in your mind. Now, read on to learn about the ordering process and different types of custom banners we have ready for you.
How to Order Your Custom Banner:
We get asked two primary questions right out of the gate with potential new customers. The first is, “How much does it cost?” The second is, “How fast can I get it?”
The answer to the first question begins with us telling you there is a range depending on the type of banner you choose, size, and number of banners you order. To break it down a little better for you, our smallest custom vinyl banner (4’W x 2’H) will cost less than $20. The more you purchase, the price drops incrementally. Our highest-priced banner will run you $172, but you get free shipping along with it.
The answer to the second question is that we turn the job around in just two business days. Your banner will be ready for you to pick up, or for us to ship to you at that time. Just to let you know, there isn’t a custom banner maker around that can beat that speed.
Type of Banners- We’ve already gotten in-depth on Step and Repeat Banners, so let’s go through types and the quick details of other banners we sell. They are as follows:
Custom Vinyl Banners– Vinyl is the industry standard material for indoor and outdoor use. They are tear and fade resistant, as well as fire retardant. With proper care, you can expect one to last 2-3 years outside, and 5 or more years inside.
Mesh Banners– Technically a vinyl banner, but with perforated holes throughout. Great for windy outdoor conditions because of those holes. Perfect banner for large-size advertising. Mesh banners will give you up to 2 years of shelf life if displayed outside.
Retractable Banners– These portable marketing devices are ideal for anyone who regularly attends expos and conventions. Lightweight, they retract back into their carrying case and are easy to tote around on your travels.
It’s certainly a smart idea to buy a banner for your business or social needs. If you do decide to get one, it has to look good in order to attract the attention you desire. Its design is paramount to your success. We’re here to help you achieve that success. As mentioned, you can make your banner look great with the design tool on our website. If you still feel you want some assistance with it, feel free to call our talented, professional staff at (800) 614-8040. They will connect you with our supremely skilled graphic design team, and they will make your ad design sing.
