Check out the competition on a long fact-finding drive along roads with billboards to see what jumps out at you when you approach these advertising mega signs. Take photos of those you find intriguing. Study color and contrast to see how they affect your perception of the layout and take notice of logos and where they’re placed on the billboard. Need more inspiration? Check the links below.
Understand the product or service your billboard design will showcase inside and out, including the product's features (it gets 40 miles to the gallon) and benefits (you'll look hot in that gorgeous car). Review photos given to you by your client or choose appropriate stock photography to create the design from scratch.
Obtain text from a copywriter unless you'll handle this portion of the project in addition to the design. Follow the ages-old recommendation of award-winning advertising pros: Keep your text as close to seven words as possible, as it’s been determined that seven is the optimal number of words a driver can process when whizzing by even the most dynamic billboard design.
Boot your computer and open a new landscape (horizontal) document in the page layout, word processing or draw program you prefer. Use the specs you were given by your client to create a page that’s scaled to replicate the billboard itself. For example, assuming a typical billboard size to be 25-feet long by 12-feet high, work within 25-inch by 12-inch field to design the art to match the proportions of the actual sign.
Import or place an image into the document and try several ways to position it; for example, a photo of a child advertising a chain of daycare centers can be used in the following ways: copy/paste a line of children to create a paper doll effect, cover one-third of the right side of the billboard with a close up of the child’s face or isolate the image in the center of the board so you can run text beneath, atop or over the graphic.
Create at least three distinct billboard looks to give the client options and then lay in the text on each background. Experiment with fonts—though you may wish to avoid fancy scripts or skinny, hard-to-read-at-40-mph typefaces. Move the copy around until it satisfies you. Import and position the company logo.
Output all three designs, hang them up and let them sit overnight. Make modifications the following day before delivering the concepts to the client. Don’t be shocked if he or she likes part of one and part of another. Like all advertising projects, compromise will likely be the dynamic that gets the project done.