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CREATIVE Does your message communicate effectively within 10 seconds? That's how long your viewer will have an opportunity to see your ad. Remember, if your ad is on a highway, cars are traveling at an average of 55 mph or more. If the ad is cluttered with too much info, the viewer will not get this info gradually over time. Instead they will ignore the ad altogether as too hard to read. Simplicity is key to a billboard's effectiveness. It is generally recommended to use no more than 7 words. Does letter font matter? For easiest legibility at a distance, experience and research indicate that the width of a letter’s vertical strokes should be about one-fifth its height. Horizontal strokes may be slightly thinner. ype usually works best on a billboard if it's bold, straight and , frankly, 'boring'. Choose heavy weights of type. Avoid faces with thin lines. Sans Serif fonts work best in outdoor advertising. Does the message create maximum visibility? Use colors and pictures to contrast with the sky and other surroundings. Is the ad readable from various distances, angles, lighting and weather conditions? Your creative design should be specific to the board if possible or if not then designed for the poorest visibility board in the showing. Are you saying only one simple key statement? Nothing else will be read and may endanger the more important messages. Do not put words or sentences stacked on top of each other. This reduces the ability to understand and view the message. Less is more. Does your ad have a sufficient amount of space between the actual lines and words? If the letters or words run together it won't be read. Is the text contrasting in color with the background? Use a PMS or other color system. If you
have an image, make sure it attracts the eye separate from the background and the copy. Do
the background colors contrast with surroundings? (i.e. sky, buildings, backdrop of board).
Are the colors used primary and secondary in nature? For example, color combinations that
work are blue and yellow or red and black. Whereas, colors such as purple and yellow, or
red and green vibrate together at too high a frequency and do not tend to be as effective.
Too much of a good thing - like white space - is, well, too much of a good thing. White
space doesn't translate well from magazine ads to outdoor.
Outdoor has its own color theory. Colors that work best in Outdoor: black, white, vibrant
yellows, reds.
How many words should be used? Say it in 7 words or less. Viewers fly by your ad at 55mph. Make that 4 words and you raise your odds of winning an OBIE. Shows thought, not words. Lay out your ad so a person can read it in "bites". What are the artwork requirements? For all pieces of artwork, fonts should be included. It is also suggested that a JPEG be included. All images used should meet the standards discussed below for photographic images. Here are our preferred formats:
Are there any problematic formats? These are common problematic formats:
What about photographic images?
Photographic images should be at least 300 DPI and uncompressed, if possible, for best results.
These are common problematic formats:
What about Logos and Clip-Art? Logos and clip-art can be of either of the formats above (ie, those of full artwork or those of photographic images). We suggest, however, that fonts always be converted to outlines or curves, and type layers be rendered in Photoshop, in order to maintain the appearance as viewed on your computer. What about non-digital art? When Meadow is producing the completed art -- though we prefer digital format -- art, photographs, and logos can be provided on paper. Here are some guidelines:
What media formats do you accept? OTR Media can accept artwork in any of these formats:
Additionally, we can provide you with an FTP account for transferring your artwork via the internet. |