Banners are one of the most common and effective ways of advertising your business, product, event or cause. Whether you want to increase brand awareness, promote a sale, attract more visitors or generate more leads, a well-designed banner can help you achieve your goals.
But how do you design a banner that stands out from the crowd and gets the attention and action you want? Here are some banner design tips to help you create a banner that works.
1. Know Your Purpose
Before you start designing your banner, you need to have a clear idea of what you want it to accomplish. What is the main message you want to convey? What is the desired outcome you want from the viewers? How do you want them to feel or act after seeing your banner?
Having a clear purpose will help you focus your design and make sure every element supports your goal. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, you might want to emphasize your logo, name and slogan. If you want to promote a sale, you might want to highlight the discount, offer and deadline.
2. Make It Pop
Your banner will likely be competing with many other visual stimuli for the viewers’ attention. That’s why you need to make it pop from its surroundings and catch their eye. One way to do that is to use contrasting colors that stand out from the background.
For example, if your banner is going to be placed on a red brick wall, you might want to avoid using red or orange colors and opt for something like white, blue or green instead. You can also use a white or black border around your banner to create more contrast and make it more visible.
Another way to make your banner pop is to use high-quality images and graphics that are relevant and appealing to your audience. Images can help you communicate your message more effectively and create an emotional connection with the viewers. However, make sure your images are not too busy or distracting and that they have a high resolution and quality.
3. Keep It Simple
While you want your banner to be eye-catching, you don’t want it to be overwhelming or confusing. You only have a few seconds to capture the viewers’ interest and deliver your message, so you need to keep it simple and clear.
One way to do that is to limit the amount of text and information on your banner. Use short and catchy headlines, subheadings and bullet points that convey the most important points. Avoid using long sentences, paragraphs or unnecessary details that might clutter your design or bore your audience.
Another way to keep it simple is to use a clear and readable font that matches your brand and message. Choose a font size that is large enough for the viewers to read from a distance and a font style that is easy to read and understand. Avoid using too many different fonts or styles that might make your banner look messy or unprofessional.
4. Include a Call-to-Action
The ultimate goal of your banner is not just to inform or entertain the viewers, but also to persuade them to take action. Whether you want them to visit your website, call your number, sign up for your newsletter or buy your product, you need to include a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) on your banner.
A CTA is a phrase or button that tells the viewers what you want them to do next and why they should do it. For example, “Shop Now”, “Learn More”, “Register Today” or “Get Your Free Trial”. A CTA should be visible, concise and urgent. It should also create a sense of value or benefit for the viewers.
To make your CTA more effective, you can also use some design tricks such as using contrasting colors, shapes or sizes; adding an arrow or icon; creating white space around it; or placing it near the bottom right corner of your banner.
5. Test Your Banner
The last step in designing your banner is testing it before launching it. You want to make sure your banner looks good and works well on different devices, platforms and locations. You also want to measure its performance and see if it achieves your desired results.
You can also ask for feedback from other people such as your colleagues, friends or customers. Ask them what they think of your banner, what message they get from it, what action they would take after seeing it and how they would improve it.
By testing your banner, you can identify any issues or errors in your design and make any necessary changes or improvements before launching it.
Conclusion
Designing a banner that gets noticed and clicked is not an easy task, but it can be done with some planning, creativity and testing. By following these banner design tips, you can create a banner that helps you achieve your purpose and reach your audience.