Step 6 to effective large-format graphics: Placement

Consider Where Your Large-Format Graphic will be Placed

The environment your graphic is going into is very important. In fact, it’s at least as important as its fellow rivals: subject matter, selling point, imagery and layout. And there is an implicit responsibility given to those who advertise: with every ad, poster, banner, or car wrap you produce, you are contributing to the environment around it. I’m not necessarily talking about whether you use green materials (that’s an entirely separate topic). This is about how your graphic adds or subtracts from the experience of your audience in that area.

the only way your marketing materials are going to have any effect is if they are experienced.

Start by asking yourself a few questions: How crowded is the surrounding area? How high will the graphic be placed? Are there any prevalent color themes in the area? Are you competing with other similar advertisements? How is it being mounted? In a window? In a banner stand? On the side of a metropolitan bus? On an adorable puppy?

Okay, perhaps I went a little too far with the puppy part (although that would be a decent way to get noticed...). And yes, sometimes you don’t have any information about the surrounding area of your ad, for example, if you’re working on a national ad campaign. But try to focus on what you do know.

The point is the only way your marketing materials are going to have any effect is if they are experienced. That means your radio ad must be heard, your video must be viewed, or, in this case, your large-format graphic must be seen. Beyond that, you have to make sure that your audience won’t have to fight to see your message. Regardless of where the graphic is placed, determine the most important part of your message and place it on the graphic accordingly, such as at direct eye level. Whatever you do, though, don’t put any important content below waist level of your target audience; it’s like a giant blind spot.

Also, make certain you've got the right material for the right application. For outdoor purposes, consider a solvent print on a vinyl banner. Not to toot our own horn or anything, but BIG Images prints on high-quality banner material that will be lightfast and weatherfast for at least five years. And at $7.50 a square foot, it’s pretty affordable too. If you’re looking for indoor solutions, including posters, window cling, stickers, and many others, we have product for those as well.

However things go, it’s always a good idea to discuss your options with your printer relatively early on in the development stages. They often know a thing or two about these things, and more often than not, with just a simple call you can save yourself time, money and heartbreak.

Read Ben’s Step 5 to effective large-format graphics: Visualizing the final product

Benjamin Lawless knows a little bit about the effect of an adorable puppy on the general population. If you see him downtown with his cute mutt Apollo, say hi. He’ll most likely not run away from you like a lunatic.