Banners Are The ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Of Print Design.
A quality banner can be used to advertise, announce, or welcome people to an event or venue using a variety of custom sizes and colorful designs. Maybe that purpose is to promote a concert, announce a fundraiser, or gather attention to an event like a grand opening.
A banner can be tailored to fit any marketing purpose, and the following factors should always be considered when designing:
- Indoor or Outdoor?
- Hanging or Free Standing?
- Vertical, Horizontal or Square?
- Target Audience Demographics?
- Visibility and Environment?
Once you’ve considered those important factors, what characterizes an effective banner? Should your design be complex, or do I keep it simple?
Let’s say you’ve stopped in traffic during your morning commute. You look over at a long fence in a nearby field and something catches your eye. It’s a banner for an upcoming local concert.
Whatever it was that caught your attention, it was most likely a visual element — maybe the colors or shapes, or a nice photo or illustration, or attractively arranged typography. At their heart, banners are visual advertisements, whether they’re selling something or not. So if you want a banner to serve its intended purpose, it needs to stand out.
Best Practices For Large Printed Banners
Let’s look at a few features that will help your large design stand out:
Have a Clear and Simple Focal Point
Every design needs a focal point, which is simply the part of the layout that draws viewers into the design. It could be an image or graphic, the headline or other text/lettering — but the focal point of a design is usually the thing people notice first. For that reason, it’s important to make sure your focal point directs viewers to the most important information you have to communicate. In this regard, even a creative banner design benefits from being simple.
Use Simple, Easy To Read Fonts
Typography plays an important role in pretty much any layout; it’s the rare design that can communicate its message using imagery alone. However, in the same way that choosing images requires consideration, context, and font selection calls for just as much care. Because fonts alone can give a design a distinct look or mood, you’ll want to make sure any typeface you choose matches up with the overall style and intent of your banner. Readability is also an important factor when choosing fonts, so we suggest avoiding styles that are overly ornate or unusual. Rule of thumb: when it comes to readability, in most cases using block typeface fonts work best.
Be Creative With Color
Nothing attracts our attention quite like a splash of color. Bright colorful designs engage our feelings and emotions, which is why you should take advantage of incorporating colors in your banner's design to optimize visual impact. For instance, warm colors like red and orange are thought to communicate energy and excitement, while cool colors like blue and green are considered more calming, nature-inspired, and conservative.
Which Design Style Is Best?
Simple banners are needed when you just have to get straight to the idea, while a creative design will bring a room to life. When choosing between a creative or simple banner, remember that your main goal is to attract attention and make a point.
