Custom banners can do wonders in the way of promotion. That said, you cannot just use any old banners. Rather your signage should have an attention-grabbing design, a clear message, and be made from high-quality vinyl material. Of course, this might not seem too difficult now. But when you need to create the best eye-catching vinyl banner around, you may need the following helpful pointers.
In order to design the best banner, first, you need to have a clear understanding of what you want to say to your target audience. Remember, you only have a couple of seconds before people will likely be distracted by something else. This is why it is so important to know your purpose and be able to communicate it via a short, simple message.
Know your purpose
It may sound silly, but there needs to be an underlying purpose for creating your custom vinyl banner. Yes, you want to market your business, but there is likely more you are hoping to accomplish. For many people, a high-quality banner is a way to increase brand awareness, highlight a new product, support a social cause, create a sense of community, or promote an upcoming event (sale, promotion, etc.). Obviously, these are just a few examples. Nevertheless, determining what goals you want to achieve via your banner is the first step. Knowing your intention or purpose for your banner will directly impact its design, so you definitely do not want to overlook this part of the process.
Once you have a better idea of your banner's purpose, then you can start thinking outside of the box. While you are brainstorming your banner design, you should also be thinking about how you will make your vinyl banner stand out amongst the crowd. One way, in particular, to make your custom banner pop is to choose a bright, eye-catching background/backdrop. Thus, considering the actual area/space where you plan to hang your custom banners is advised—select colors, text, and images that create a distinction between your vinyl banners and their surroundings.
If you use imagery, be sure it's a clear image
A picture is worth a thousand words, which comes in handy when you cannot write a novel on your custom vinyl banners. With that said, it is still necessary to use an image that has a clear message and is high in quality/resolution. Here, the goal is to use an image that does not get lost in translation or lose its clarity after printing. Therefore, refrain from using low-quality photos, images that are hard to make out at a distance, or graphics that will likely look different once printed to scale. Likewise, if you are creating your own graphics, remember to save it as a Vector file and make sure your photos are not compressed when you save them (save pictures with an output resolution of 100 to 200 DPI/at full image size). Note that if you are using images or graphics that are earmarked with all rights reserved, you must obtain the owner's permission to use their copyrighted work.
When designing the text and taglines for your vinyl banners/custom signs, it is often easy to get carried away. So, remember to keep your message/font clear, clean, and concise. Your signage will fare much better if your font is not super fancy, and your message is not for shock value. Usually, all a successful marketing banner needs is your logo, a few words that line up with your brand or event, and a simple yet memorable image/design.
When creating the banner of your dreams, you might think bigger is better or that if you add even more text to your banners, your message will be clearer. But, once again, it is highly recommended that you keep your custom banner text concise. Moreover, if you find yourself running out of room for your witty text or tagline, do not automatically size up or request a smaller print, so you have room to say more. Instead, try your best to stick to the printing three by five rule--a max of 15 words, which can either be three words in five lines or five words in three lines.
As briefly touched upon, color is your friend when it comes to designing/printing eye-catching vinyl banners. However, you want bold colors that make your banners pop and draw people in. So, try to take some time before the actual banner printing portion of the program, and research what colors are right for your banners.
Speaking of larger banners, it is important to remember that a big vinyl banner (regardless of whether they are for indoor or outdoor use) always needs a focal point. The same is true even for display signage on sizable banner stands, gigantic 13 oz vinyl signs at trade shows, or event banners that range from 2.5' x 8' to 6' x 8'+. A clear focal point tends to help people see the entire sign because their interest has been peaked.
Finally, before banner printing day arrives, make sure you have gone over every detail one last time. Of course, no one wants to start from scratch, especially when the finish line is in sight. But waiting several business days for your vinyl banners to be fixed is not the goal either. Thus, it is in your best interest to go over the final proof before you print your banners.
Take Away
Ultimately, utilizing the tips mentioned above will help you create vinyl banners that do more than just grab people's attention. So now that you are more familiar with a few tricks of the trade, what are you waiting for? Start designing your eye-catching banners today.
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