Designing your own vinyl banner, custom magnetic or banner sign can be a great way to get exactly the final look you want. But remember – quite often your custom sign or banner is the first thing people see that is associated with your business, so a professional-looking readable design is of the utmost importance.
To help you get the most out of your custom banner design experience – whether using our graphic design services or your computer – Attention Getters has some design tips to help.
1. Choose appropriate font styles
Avoid using more than two type styles on a banner. The more fonts used, the harder it is to read. Sans serif fonts like Helvetica, Futura and Antique Olive are the easiest to view from a distance. They should be used for the primary message on banner. Likewise, serif fonts such as Goudy, Benguiat or Times are appropriate for a secondary message. Fonts such as Old English Text or Engraved are almost impossible to read correctly from a distance and should only be used when the viewer is stationary for a period of time (such as in a conference hall, meeting room or retail store) to be able to absorb the entire message at their own pace.
Take into account the type of business or event where the banner will be used. A bridal shop or beauty salon banner can be dressed up with a script font such as Brush or Commercial Script; however, these fonts would be out of place in an auto parts business.
Also, try to stay away from using all upper case lettering on your banner. It can be used for one word or a line of text for emphasis, however, it takes the human eye longer to read and process words in upper case.
2. Visibility
You can order your custom vinyl banner in a variety of sizes. Make sure you have chosen a size that is appropriate for the distance you expect your custom banner to be seen from. Consider where it will be located and what obstacles may be in the way. Readability is the most important part of your signage.
The following chart from the United States Sign Council (USSC) will help you to determine what size type is needed for your custom banner.
3. Overall Design
How do you plan to use your custom vinyl banner or any other product? Are you creating a custom sign that is event-specific or is it intended for use in a variety of settings? This can help you decide what text styles, colors and backgrounds you will want to use on your custom sign.
4. Less is More
When designing any signage less can be more! Leaving space around the edges and not filling the space completely with your text will add impact to what you do use on the banner. Put a minimum of information with some sort of contact information (like a phone number or web address) instead of everything about your event on your sign. Be concise but make sure needed information is included.
5. Photographs and Colors
Although Attention Getters can print your banner in full color giving you no limit to what you can do, choosing one color scheme and sticking with it can give your custom banner or sign a more finished look. Bright colors, patterns or images will draw attention to your sign, but overuse can take away from your message or make it hard to read. Using full color photographs is a great way to emphasize the main message on your custom sign.
Color combinations with high contrast between the background and letters are easier to read and can be viewed from greater distances. Always consider the type of business or event when choosing colors. Pink,purple, teal and orange colors aren’t shown on this chart, but still can be used for certain holidays, special events or parties.
Highest visibility color combinations to use on your custom sign according to the Outdoor Advertising Assoc. of America (OAAA) is as follows:
Have fun with your banner or sign, but make it easy to read and appropriate for your target audience and your business. Every banner or sign that you use is a reflection on your company. If you want your custom banner or custom sign designed by one of our professionals, please contact us for a quote.
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