Stop exhibition visitors in their tracks with an eye-catching banner

Banners are used for all sorts of occasions, from birthdays to anniversaries to welcome home parties. And it is the bigger, brighter and the more extravagant that make the best ones.

But the banners that need a lot more thought are the non-novelty variety - the banners that are used in the work environment, for stands at conventions, business fairs, exhibitions or recruitment events. Here’s how you can make yours stand out.

A simple font is an eye catching one: Keep your font nice and simple. It is something which people often forget and with hundreds of new fonts available on new software and the internet, it is hard to resist the temptation of playing around with fonts.  

There is no reason you can’t be quirky if it fits in well with the theme of your stand, but it is no use if people can’t read what’s written. In a crowded room or at a distance, an ornate italic font will not read as well as a solid and simple one. If you are going to use a serif font, make it a simple one.

Picking suitable colours: Keeping in with the colours of your company is a good idea for consistency and identity. Don’t ambush visitors with a multicoloured background in an attempt to dazzle, because it can be confusing and unpleasant to the eye.

For the best visibility, ensure the colour of the font contrasts with that of the background for ease of reading - for instance, do not have a dark font on a dark background, or light on light. If you want to make one particular word in your banner stand out, then you can highlight it with a different colour to the rest, so long as it doesn’t clash with the background.

What does it say about your company or business?: If you want to use an adventurous font because that is the nature of your business, then feel free to do so, as it is a great way to draw attention to your stand. Remember not to get carried away with something that is going to look silly. It is recommended you use the font that is used for your company branding or logo, as it shows a professional quality and consistency.

Keeping images down to a minimum will ensure your banner does not look overly crowded. However, feel free to use your company logo to make it more memorable and give people more of an idea about what your stand is offering. Also consider who you will get to print your banner. If the print quality is not up to scratch, a perfectly designed banner can look like faded or pixelated, which reflects badly on your stand.

Make your banner visible: There is no point in putting all that effort into your banner or display if it is going to be obstructed by another stand. Make sure you give yourself enough height or prominence so that people can see you. Don’t have your banner made out of a reflective material, because it tends to catch the light and all people will be able to see is a distracting glare.

Matt materials are better for visibility and you can use light to your advantage. Fixing some spotlights above your banner can make it stand out even more. Check to see if your venue can assist with this before you make your own arrangements. Use your venue to your advantage so you know that people will be queuing up to visit your stand on the day.