Effective Billboard Design: 3 Basic Rules

Billboard is an effective way to reach a large audience but it does not mean that any ads you put out there will be effective. Although creative and innovative billboard design does help to stand out, it is still important to stick with the basic rules of effective billboard design before you enhance it with creativity. 

An effective billboard is:

1. Clear & concise

Billboard is a platform for you to send out important messages. Make it short, clear and concise so that the audience can absorb your message in a short time. You might have a lot to offer and tell through your ads, but remember that less is always more. As a rule of thumb, try to keep your text around 7 words and ensure that it can be read in 5 seconds. 

Photo courtesy of Willy Apriando

An example of a clear and concise ad by JobStreet Malaysia. With just 6 words, the audience can easily know what the ad is about.

2. Contrasting colours

For people to be interested in your ad, play with the colours on the design of your billboard. Combining contrasting colours with clear fonts will make your ad appears eye-catching and increases its readability. 

Image via Pinterest

This ad by Chiptole utilises bold font colour only on the key message to create a special effect. High contrast between the text and background of your ad will allow the audience to easily catch your brand message.

3. Call to action 

What do you want your audience to do after seeing your ad? This is such an important point to watch out for as it’s the purpose of your billboard. Your call-to-action message doesn’t need to be written out like a copy, just place your website URL, phone number, your social media page or just direction to your store on your ad will do. 

For example:

Photo courtesy of seoforlawyers

Now people know where to find you.

An effective billboard does not mean it has to be fancy, it is only effective when the audience sees it, understand your message and know what they should do through the message.

Start with the basics:

Start designing your ad by following the 3 simple basic rules now.

When you are ready to roll it out there, hit Firstboard for ad space.