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May 02 2012

Portland Graphic Design | 3 Tips for Awesome Flyers and Banners

When you need to design a banner or a flyer for an event, it can be an intimidating task. It’s a good idea to get expert help from a Portland print and graphic designer, but if you can’t do that, you can still make sure your sign gets the message across, by keeping a few important tips in mind.

Think about the Who and the Where.

You know that different clients sometimes need different approaches, when you want to give them your best, so you should keep that in mind with your banners and flyers, too. Who will be seeing it? And where will they be looking at it? Will they have time to stop and read it?

If you’re taking your clothing line to a higher-end trade show, you’d want to use different wording on your banners or cards than you would at a bargain sale. If you’re promoting an event through a street team, you’ll want a flyer that makes a quicker impression than what you’d use in a place where you have more face time with each person.

Keep it consistent with your brand.

Even when you’re adjusting your banners for your audience and venue, you still want it to communicate your business’ message as well as all of your other advertising and web promotions. Spend a few minutes looking at other promo materials you use, and take hints from those.

The hints you’ll get from that? They should include the visuals and the content. Use colors and styles that look good with your logo, for instance. You can work with a designer you trust to make sure everything looks cohesive. Did you have a copywriter help you with the written content on your web site? Maybe you should call them up and get their help with your signage, too.

Don’t overload it with information.

Information overload is probably THE number one mistake I see on signs and flyers. It’s tempting to want to say everything you possibly can about your product or your service, but too much will just overwhelm your potential customer. And, the people who see your sign will likely only see it for a brief moment, as they’re walking or driving by it. Will those people even have a chance to read a sign that’s too wordy?

Your best bet is to make your message as clean and concise as possible. Get the most important information out there, and give them the opportunity to notice, like, and ask questions about your work. If you entice them into visiting your web site or asking you about your work, you can use all the words you like to answer them. 😉

Portland graphic design – Portland web design – Upswept Creative