Many often ask us, what makes a good billboard? While there are many different aspects to creating a captivating billboard, there’s usually a fixed set of rules that help to gear it up to optimally perform for its intended audience. Typically, effective billboards consist of three different factors. When these factors are considered, and their respective qualities are integrated into the billboard, then you have a billboard that is enjoyable to view and very easy to understand. From this, the billboard is able to entice the viewer to consider and learn more about what is being offered.

So what are the factors included in what makes a good billboard? Keep reading to learn. For proven outdoor advertising in Puerto Rico methodology, strategy, and launches, contact bMedia Group today!

what makes an effective billboard

Great Billboard Design

A Good Billboard Has A Clear And Concise Message

This message can be as simple as “buy our pizza”, but the message must be clear and concise so that the viewer knows exactly what is being conveyed. Without this clarity, it’s far more likely that whoever sees your billboard will be uncertain as to what, exactly, is being conveyed.

Every effective billboard has a clear and concise message. Most people don’t stare at billboards for very long, and because of that, it’s unwise to use a billboard for conveying large amounts of information and complex messages.

Instead, a billboard must have a clear and concise message that is well-defined and easy for the viewer of the billboard to understand. To give you an example of this, if you are offering a free wellness consultation for people with back problems, then your billboard should consist of an image that conveys the difficulties of dealing with back problems, and how you offer a free solution. But, since this is a billboard, there’s no need for you to dive into how you will solve the problem. Instead, you just need to entice the viewer to want to learn more about what you are offering.

To define the message that you are going to be conveying, you must think about what you are advertising, the main benefit that you are offering to customers, and then what they can do to receive what you are offering. By doing that, you will understand what it is that the billboard needs to convey, and then you can work on finding a way to convey it.

  • Have a clear and concise message that is easy to understand
  • More often than not, this message consists of what is being offered, a strong benefit that it offers, and then a call-to-action that allows the viewer to receive what’s being offered
  • To do this, you must define what you are offering and the value that it offers, before designing your billboard

good billboards

Use Seven Words Or Less

Most of the people who will be seeing your billboard have very little time to process what a billboard is saying. Because of that, using seven words or less ensures that whoever sees your billboard has time to read it and to understand what you are offering.

Most of the people who see your billboard will do so while driving. On average, a driver has around five-to-ten seconds to see your billboard, to read it, and to understand it. That’s not enough time to read along and overly wordy billboard, but that’s plenty of time to absorb a simple and memorable image, as well as a sentence that encapsulates what you’re offering and entices the viewer.

What’s important to remember, though, is that billboards are a visual medium. Words are incredibly useful at doing things such as creating memorable slogans or elaborating on specific pieces of information, but it’s unwise for your billboard to rely too heavily on words. Instead, words should serve as a supplement to the images, rather than the other way around.

  • Most of the people who will see your billboard only have five-to-ten seconds to read and understand it
  • Using seven words, or less ensures that they have time to read the billboard
  • Billboards are a visual medium, so use the words to elaborate on specific points or to create a slogan that is memorable and explains your product, rather than relying on words alone

Integrate Words And Images To Create Something Memorable

What makes a good billboard can factor how well others can remember it. Integrate words and images to create something memorable. While billboards rely on words, they are primarily a visual medium. As such, it’s very important that you integrate words and images in a manner that effectively conveys what you offer while doing so in a memorable and distinctive manner.

Billboards are, primarily, a visual medium. Words are often used as tools for elaborating on specific points or for conveying a certain piece of information that will entice the viewer of the billboard to learn more, but they are rarely used for more than that.

To integrate words and images in an effective manner, you must define the overall message of your billboard, and then you can begin thinking about the images that you can use to effectively convey that message.

creating an effective billboard

For example, if you are offering free wellness consultations that are designed to help with back problems, then you could convey that using a picture of a man’s back that is covered in a dark, silver color. This image conveys the pain of having back problems, and the feelings of being weighed down and immobile that back problems often come with.

With that image, you can then use a couple of words that convey the solution that you offer – in this case, a wellness consultation. There’s no need for you to explain the solution that you offer in great detail, instead, you can simply tell the viewer that you offer a solution. This will spread awareness of your services, while also enticing those who are dealing with back problems and would like to find a solution.

To make your billboard as memorable and as effective as it can be, you must focus on creating memorable images and designs first, because those are the first things that the viewer will see. Then, you can use words to further enhance the billboard and its message.

  • Uses image and words in an effective and memorable manner
  • Billboards are visual mediums, so it’s important that they rely more on visuals than words
  • To make a billboard that is memorable, it’s important to use large and distinct images, rather than multiple images
  • Words must supplement the images – and message – rather than having to explain the images
  • Think about your message and the images that will convey it first, and then think about the words you would like to use