Digital billboards are the hot thing right now. They're bright, they're eye-catching, they're pretty. We have several clients who use them with great results.
I'm sure our graphic designers would disagree with this, but there's only one rule with it comes to billboards, and that's the good old KISS axiom.
Keep It Short and Simple.
The next time you're sitting at a red light, look at the boards. Do some have tiny type that is unreadable? Do some use an unrecognizable logo and fail to put the company name? (Unless you're Nike or Chevrolet, your logo alone probably isn't sufficient.) Do some have so many words the light turned green before you saw it all?
Digital boards rotate every 7 seconds, which means a consumer must be able to read and process the information in a very short period of time. Our brains can't digest a novella in that time.
When you're thinking about your billboard, ask yourself two questions:
1. Can I identify my business using five words (3-4 if using a phone number).
2. Can I make my pitch in 5-8 words?
If you can't answer yes to those questions, you may want to save your billboard for another project.
Billboards are pretty. They're also pretty expensive, so make every word count.