Every day, millions of drivers pass by billboards, but how many actually notice and remember the message? Designing for billboards is an art and science in itself.
Did you know that most people can only read 7 words in 3 seconds, which is approximately the amount of time a car passenger can read a billboard on the highway. Overall, I love designing billboards as they can be extremely effective for marketing initiatives like events, hiring, and brand awareness. I’m a believer in the philosophy, “go big or go home.”
While billboards can be effective ads, there’s some challenges. Let’s dive into the challenges designers face and some solutions to create effective and meaningful Billboard campaigns.
Billboard Challenges
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Collecting Data
It’s hard to collect return on investment data. How do you know if your campaign is successful if there is no QR code with a tracking system or goggle analytics to track engagement?
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Billboards are Expensive
Most billboards start around $3,000 making them one of the most expensive ways to advertise.
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Billboards are Temporary
Billboards are temporary, and have an expiration date unless you want to extend the contract and pay more.
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No Budget for Brand Awareness
Some companies do not have a budget for brand awareness, but only for specific marketing initiatives or campaigns. This presents challenges if the target audience has never heard of your brand. First you have to explain who you are, then describe what you can offer them.
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Billboard Clutter
Some inexperienced clients want to include everything and anything on billboards, creating a cluttered, unreadable, and poorly designed piece of art.
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Encourage Distracted Driving
Some clients want to include phone numbers or QR codes on billboards, which encourages distracted driving.
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Lack of Education
Some clients lack education on how the ad will be viewed, the location, who will see it, and how long they will see it for.
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Unrealistic Expectations
Some clients have unrealistic expectations, and nothing can change that.
Solutions
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Collect Impressions
A company can collect data by the number of approximate impressions, which can build brand awareness, and is a long-term strategy.
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Pay for What You Want
You pay for what you get. Design is relative, if you want to run an ad in a local paper for a select target audience, when your ad is really meant for a broad audience, then you are going to get a small return on investment.
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Use 7 Words Maximum
People can read 7–10 words in about 3 seconds or the time it takes for a car to pass a billboard on the highway.
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Use the Correct Font Size
Make sure your font size is legible at a distance (recommend 1 foot of text height for every 10 feet of viewing distance). A standard billboard size of 14 feet high and 48 feet wide. Use lettering that is at least 36 inches or 3 feet for optimal visibility at 500 feet away.
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Use Color Contrast
Use bold, high-contrast colors. ADA compliant.
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Add White Space & Declutter
Give the viewer’s eyes time to rest with white space, and uncluttered designs.
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Avoid QR Codes
Avoid QR codes and phone numbers, unless you want your brand associated with distracted driving and influencing accidents. Instead here’s an alternative option: short, memorable website URLs (e.g., "VisitBrand.com").
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Educate Your Client
Educate your client on the location of the ad and who will be viewing it.
Here’s the good news.
Sometimes companies will run your ad longer if they have not sold other ad space afterwards, or if they do not have employees to take down the printed signs. This happened with a few of my ads. The bus company, and also the billboard company ran the ad longer than expected because nobody bought the ad space after our ad.
Also, digital displays have become the way to go because they eliminate printed waste, and can be easily changed out.
At the end of the day all you can do is educate your clients about design, if they have unrealistic expectations, that’s on them. Document emails sent where you clarify what a billboard should have, so if they come back at you, then you have proof that you did try to educate them. It’s not your fault if they don’t listen to your suggestions, and don’t take time to understand effective creative solutions.
Conclusion
While this article may have taken more than 3 seconds to read, and is more than 7 words, I hope it was helpful for you to understand how to design billboards. When done right, billboards have the power to make a lasting impression, spark curiosity, and amplify your brand awareness in just seconds. Ready to elevate your billboard campaigns? Apply these tips and create designs that stand out, even at 60 miles per hour.
