Have you ever driven by a billboard that has type so small that you can’t read it as you drive by at 60 miles per hour? Such a waste of marketing money. This mistake happens so easily because billboards are often designed on large computer monitors and we think the huge billboards will carry it off.
But you can keep from wasting your marketing dollars by using the technique I learned years ago from Bonnie Tharp at Copp Media Services. I’ll never forget how she said to print out the billboard artwork the size of a business card, hold it in your hand, and stretch out your arm. If you can easily read it, it’s good. If not, go back and simplify the design and reduce the number of words to about 10. Then you can enlarge the text and logo so they’re readable.
I even tested the reality of this technique on the highway (while someone else was driving, of course!). Sure enough. It’s correct. A billboard looks about the size of a business card at arm’s length. So, try this technique the next time you use billboards to promote your business.
Just another way to apply the timeless marketing principle called KISS (Keep it Short & Simple).
If you want help applying KISS to your marketing, contact me here: delanebutler.com/contact
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