The adoption of digital banner printing for vinyl banners has opened up a whole new sphere of possibilities for what can go on a banner. Gone are the days of simple text and in its place is full color digital printing.

Just what makes a good banner? There are five key elements that go into the overall design of a banner.

1.Material

2.Size

3.Letters

4.Color contrast

5.Digital graphics

Part 1 — Banner material

There are 3 categories of banner material; lightweight, standard and heavyweight. Lightweight material is normally around 10 ounces in weight and are preferred for indoor use. This type of banner is great for parties and one-time events. A lightweight banner will not last outdoors for any length of time.

Any banner that is around 13 ounces is considered a standard weight banner. This banner is not only the standard for outdoor use, but is a terrific option for short term, multi year use banners. For example, if you have an annual winter clearance sale, this type of banner can be used for many seasons to come.

Heavyweight banner is 17 ounce and above. This is really only needed for extreme outdoor conditions and is generally not need for any other purpose. Be wary of a banner printer pushing this weight on you for a normal banner application.

Part 2 — Size

The old axiom bigger is better doesn’t always work with banners. You need to have a banner that is in keeping with the location it is being installed. If you have a 20 foot tall wall, then you can have a larger banner. The banner needs to stand out and sell your product.

A good rule to go by is that you should use 1″ of letter height for every 10′ of viewing distance. For example, if your banner is going to be seen from around 100′, then you need letter of no less than 10 inches. You should also look to have about the same amount of white space around each line to make it readable.

Part 3 — Characters

The character set you employ in your design is just about the most important choice you can make. You need something readable and one that stay consistent with your groups brand. Using all caps can add a striking design element, but be careful. All caps with a script font are a disaster no matter what you do. If adding all caps is important to you, be sure to look for one that is clean lined as it will work much better for you.

Part 4 — Contrast

You need to be aware of two color contrasts. The first is the contrast between your fonts and the background of the banner and the second is the contrast of the banner and its background.

blue on white white on blue blue on yellow yellow on blue

These are really good color combinations to use for your fonts/background colors. You want your words to pop off the page and draw the attention of the reader. Using the right combinations of colors can do just that.

Why would you place a tan banner against a tan wall in your retail establishment? The banner is lost in a sea of tan, when what you want is for the banner to pop against its background.

Part 5 — Digital graphics

Digital graphics are where modern banner design earns its money. No longer do you have to limit yourself to lines of simple text, not when you can design them with full color digital images. Banner printers have so many resources open to them for images that there is no reason not to have a visually stunning banner. ***Important*** If you plan on using your own images, be sure they are taken with enough resolution to blow up to the size you want to use.

Conclusion

It is a piece of cake for a banner printing firm to create a fantastic looking banner for you. Now that you know what to ask for, you have just made the job much easier.

Tags: Banner Ads

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