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5 Steps to Banner Design Greatness

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.

There are five elements that go into creating a great vinyl banner.

1.Material

2.Banner size

3.Letters

4.Color contrast

5.Digital graphics

Part 1 — Banner material

Lightweight, standard and heavyweight are the three primary classes of banner material. Light banners are usually 10 ounces and are not a good choice for outdoor use. This type of banner is great for indoor use at birthday parties of holiday celebrations.

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.

Anything 17 ounces and above is considered heavyweight material. It is really only needed in extreme weather conditions.

Part 2 — Material Size

Larger is not always the best option when sizing a banner. You need to keep the size in scale with where you are installing it. Everyone has seen a really small banner mounted on the side of a large wall. That banner is not readable except if you are standing right in front of it. The opposite is just as bad. You want your banner to stand out from the background, not blend into it.

To maximize the readablity of your banner, you should have letters that are 1 inch in height for every 10 feet of viewing distance. You also need about the same amount of spacing for each line so that it is easily viewed. For example, if your banner will be 200 feet from the viewers, you must have letter that are no less than 20 inches high.

Part 3 — Fonts

The letter style you choose can make or break your design. The style should be readable and in line with your image. Never use an all script font with capital letters as it cannot be read at any distance. If you need all caps, try to find one that is classified as sans serif. They are very clean stylistically and easy to read. Be as creative as you want with your letter styles, just make sure your creativity doesn’t interfere with the purpose of the banner.

Part 4 — Contrasting color

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

There are many great combinations of colors that you can use. You need your text to explode off the page to grab the attention of the reader. The correct combination of colors can do just that.

A second area of concern is the contrast between the banners and its background. What is the point of having a green banner if it is displayed against a grassy field. The object is to grab your viewers attention, not to play hide n seek with them.

Part 5 — 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 really is simple for a professional banner printing firm to design you a great looking product. Now that you know what to look for, you can more clearly articulate exactly what you want in a banner.

Looking for banners online. Check out your oregon banner source. Be sure to check out our options for banner printing and our wide selection of banner displays.

categories: banner printing,full color banners,banners,signs,business,marketing,advertising,banner design,sign design,business marketing,business advertising

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