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There are a few basic guidelines toconsider when designing for the outof home medium, but they are notrules. There are always exceptions.However, adapting the guidelinesdoes require an appreciation for therudimentary principles of good out ofhome design.
The out of home medium presentslimitless options and approaches forcreative design. There are dozens ofsizes and shapes, seemingly endlesslocations and stunning technologiesoffering boundless opportunities fordesigning effective advertising.
General Motors | Chevrolet Volt
Out of Home Media
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Designing out of home advertising is visual storytelling. Theexpression of an idea can surprise viewers with words or excite
them with pictures. Through the use ofhumor or drama, out of home designscan influence consumer decisions andsell products.
According to noted media researcher,Erwin Ephron, “The ad on an out of homeunit is the face of the medium. Creativebecomes an active media variable. Not interms of attention paid, or engagementwith, but by the message itself attractingeyes to the medium by being noticeable.”
However, creating for the out of homemedium is a challenging communicationtask that requires the expression of aconcept with clarity and austere focus.When out of home advertising is welldesigned, it will entertain and intrigueconsumers with arresting influence.
The environment where out of homeadvertising appears is considerablydifferent from other media, since there is
typically no programming or editorial associated with themedium. It is pure advertising. That’s why innovative, aestheticor humorous out of home design executions can often be morememorable than literal advertising. People are intelligent, andgood out of home designs involve viewers by stimulating theirimagination to solicit a response. Good advertising isstorytelling. Dramatic tension or suspense influences viewerinterest which can be expressed on three different cognitivelevels: rational, emotional and cultural.
The viewerrationally
interprets amessage
The viewerinstinctivelyreacts to a
messagewith emotion
The viewerdetermines if a message is
relevant to thempersonally and
chooses to eitheraccept or reject
the message
The Creative Challenge
“You know you’ve achievedperfection in design, not whenyou have nothing more to add,but when you have nothing moreto take away.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Artist
Rational
Emotional
Cultural
Pedigree | Dogs Rule
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Out of home designs depicting positive product or socialbenefits will achieve better recall responses among viewersthan designs with inaccurate or misleading product information.A call to action is an effective technique for engaging a viewer.Out of home displays that include Internet addresses,
telephone numbers andspecial offers canproduce impressiveresults.
Combining interactivemobile technology without of home messagescan be particularlyeffective by facilitatingtwo-way conductivitybetween brands andconsumers. Both SMSshort codes andBluetooth™ technologycan be used to enhancethe overall impact of anout of home campaign.
Chick-fil-A | Eat More Chicken | Chick-fil-A has built its brand with a series of humorous bulletinsutilizing three-dimensional cows and a core message
BBC World | Voting | Bulletins featuring SMS short codes encouraged viewersto vote on the meaning of provocative imagery
Yahoo! | Vintage Motel Sign
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Humor Humor is a powerful design choice for out of homeexecutions. Both humorous and intriguing designs can buildawareness faster than mundane executions. The element ofsurprise can grab a viewer’s attention.
Studies have shown that humor arousesthe most favorable response amongviewers. Humor often includes wit, an es-sential component for ensuring an effec-tive response to intriguing or aestheticdesigns.
Legal Sea Foods | Really Fresh Fish
Coca-Cola Zero | Tastes Like Coke
MINI Cooper | Let’s Motor
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Intrigue Intrigue involves a viewer by using words orpictures that may not be immediately comprehensible. Intriguewill often present a puzzle and solution relationship thatrequires mental focus. A single, intriguing design might be usedto captivate a viewer. However, a message could also beconveyed using a series of related images that involve theviewer in a saga that unfolds over time.
Economist | Ostrich | Simple imagery placed against a trademark redbackground presents viewers with thoughtful advertising messages
Harley Davidson | Smoker | The use of asimple smoke machine enhances the overallimpact of a standard bulletin
Recession 101 | A series of anonymous taglines instructs viewers on coping with hard economic times
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Surprise Surprisestimulates a viewer usingunexpected or unusual designelements. A surprised viewerwill do a “double-take” and willgenerally experience anemotional response once theessence of the message isunderstood. Sometimes themessage is serious, so apowerful image with a searingheadline can be an effectivedesign choice.
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation | Wheelchair
Bloom Supermarkets | Jumbo Muffins | Viewers reported seeing a muffin crush a parked car
Maker’s Mark | Vending Machine
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Aesthetic Aesthetic designs present pleasurable images orideas to a viewer. They may be soothing when observed orenjoyable to study in detail. Aesthetic designs are often moredependent on pictures than on words. Although vivid, colorfulphotography can aesthetically enhance out of home designs,high-quality illustrative artwork can be an effective design choice.
Literal Extremely literal designs generally produce the lowestrecall among out of home advertising viewers. Although purebranding can be very effective over an extended period of time,literal advertising won’t quickly increase brand awareness.
Target Stores | Bulleye | Red and white designs are used to convey consistent brandingWindows | Devices Without Walls
Windows | Devices Without Walls
CBS Television | 50th Grammy Awards | Then & Now
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The BIGIdeaThe out of home viewing audience is mobile. Mostpeople travel swiftly in vehicles and walk at a briskpace while they perform the activities of daily life.Mobility limits the potential viewing time of an out ofhome message to only a few seconds. Because oflimited exposure time, out of home designs require adisciplined and succinct creative approach. However,high frequency is a fundamental strength of themedium and repeated exposures will ensure that amessage is absorbed and retained over time.
Less is more, much more when creating out of homeadvertisements. The most effective designs focus on asingle idea or concept. An advertiser should considerthe most important product benefit to communicateand express that message to consumers.
Out of home advertising should be a quick burst of essentialinformation. Additional messages dilute the essence of theprimary benefit and reduce the impact of the advertising. It isequally important to limit design elements. Too many elementsmay confuse a viewer or make them work too hard tounderstand the meaning of the message.
If an advertising campaign requiresmultiple messages, one option is to createa series of designs that feature differentcore ideas presented as different out ofhome executions.
However, some place-based out of home formats are viewed byconsumers for a considerably long span of time. Theseadvertisements are often located in places where people waitsuch as airports, train stations, checkout lines or waiting rooms.In these situations, out of home designs could include moredetails since there is typically more time for viewers to digestthe information.
“Solve the creative brief on aposter and you’ll have an idea thatwill work in virtually any medium.”
David Berstein
Nationwide Insurance | Life Comes At You Fast
Denver Water | Water Conservation
Messages
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Memorable In 2000, Sensory Logic, Inc. conducted a groundbreak-ing study that measured the relative effectiveness ofadvertising messages designed for the out of homemedium. A total of 40 subjects were tested using thefirm’s proprietary BodyTalkTM methodology using a pro-jectable sample. The results of the report led to the fol-lowing recommendations for creating an out of homecampaign:
• Rely on imagery over words• Relate messages to familiar ideas and easily under-
stood concepts• Use playful, lively elements• Draw on universal elements of life, like home and
family• Offer comfort• Avoid intimidating viewers• Emphasis brands as “heroes or helpers”
Chicago Field Museum | Pirates | A bus shelter is transformed into a pirate’s lairESPN Monday Night Football | Astroturf
Crest | MMM
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Focus on a coreidea. Keep overall
advertisingmessages and
the elements ofdesign simple.
Brand positioning is animportant consideration
and can effectivelyproduct recall. The
bottom right is a goodlocation for out of home
units with a horizontalorientation. The top half
of a design is the bestlocation for a vertically
oriented unit.
Don’t be confined by theboundaries of a frame.
Crop generously andextend the elements of
design beyond the physicalrestraints of an out of
home unit. Extensions orother three-dimensional
embellishments andenvironmental applications
will enhance an overalldesign by producing
greater impact.
Brevity Branding Borders
Charlotte Bobcats | Double Decker Dunk | Straddlingtwo stacked posters to extend the advertising message
REI | Austin Grand Opening
Absolut | Lottery | An Absolut design incorporatesthe close proximity of a Mega Millions lottery bulletin
The Killer Bs
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The ABCs Of Simplicity
“Oh how difficult it is to be simple.”
Vincent Van Gogh
EFFEN Vodka | Distilled 5 EFFEN Times
Zippo | Summer
AExpress themost importantidea concisely.
Accuracy BPresentdynamic orprovocativemessages.
Boldness CLimit thenumber ofwords andpictures.
Clarity
“With an apple, I will astonish Paris.”
Paul Cézanne
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The spectrum of full color,vividly and faithfullyreproduced, is one of thedistinct advantages whencreating out of home
campaigns. Designs bursting with brilliant color can evokeemotional responses that will arouse lasting impressionsand create stopping power.
It is essential that out of home designs are easy to read.Choose colors with high contrast in both hue and value.Contrasting colors are viewed well from great distanceswhile colors with low contrast will blend together andobscure a message. In fact, research demonstrates thathigh color contrast can improve out of home advertisingrecall by 38 percent.
iPod + iTunes | 1000 Songs | A spectacular vertical bulletin in Los Angeles erupts with dramatic color
iPod | Nano-Chromatic
Seeing is Believing
Havaianas | Jellyfish
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Hue is the identity of color, such as red, yellow or blue.
Value is the measure of lightness or darkness and can be separated intoshades and tints.
Shades are the relative darkness of colors.
Tints are the relative lightness of colors.
A standard color wheel illustrates the importance of contrast in hue andvalue. Like sound waves, light rays have varying wave lengths or
frequencies. Some pigments absorb light while others reflect it.Reflected frequencies are perceived as color.
Opposite colors on a wheel are complementary. An example is redand green. They represent a good contrast in hue, but their valuesare similar. It is difficult for the cones and rods of the human eye toprocess the wavelength variations associated with complementary
colors. Consequently, a quivering or optical distortion is sometimesdetected when two complementary colors are used in tandem.
Adjacent colors, such as blue and green, make especially poorcombinations since their contrast is similar in both hue and value. As aresult, adjacent colors create contrast that is hard to discern.
Alternating colors, such as blue and yellow, produce the best combinationssince they have good contrast in both hue and value. Black contrasts wellwith any color of light value and white is a good contrast with colors ofdark value. For example, yellow and black are dissimilar in the contrast ofboth hue and value. White and blue are also a good color combination.
These 14 color combinations represent the best use of color contrast for advertising readability.The chart evaluates primary and secondary color combinations taking into account hue andvalue. Example 1 is the most legible color combination while example 14 is the least legible.
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ComplexityAdvances in production technology have allowedadvertisers to use increasingly complex imagery in theircreative application. However, the requirements foreffective out of home advertising have remained the same.Imagery must be bold, clear and easy to understand.
Strong images against simple backgrounds create high-impact visuals. Images placed against complexbackgrounds can be difficult to discern.
Altoids | The Curiously Strong Mints
Virgin Atlantic Airways | Luggage Tag
Lincoln Children’s Zoo | Bats Lifesavers | The Outsider
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Fonts selected for out of home designs must be easy toread from variable distances. Use large and legibletypefaces. Choose fonts that are easily read at longdistances. Fonts with thin strokes or ornate script will bedifficult to read.
Adequate spacing between letters, words and lines willenhance visibility. The relative size of letter characters isalso an important consideration. When designing forroadside displays, a one foot letter height is unreadablewhile a two foot letter height is marginal. A letter heightgreater than three feet is clearly readable. Words comprisedof both upper and lower characters are generally easier toread than words constructed solely of capital letters.
Snickers | Consistent use of the candy’s iconictypestyle and wrapper colors creates immediate brandidentity despite the use of gibberish in the advertising
Text Legibility GuideDistance in Feet
Print Resolution
Resolution for LED
Examples Minimal ReadableText Height in Inches
5’ - 50’ High 3mm-8mm Malls, Airports, Retail, Lobbies, Office etc.
1” - 2”
50’ - 100’ High 6mm-12mm Window, Street Display,Drive through
2” - 4”
100’ - 200’ Normal 12mm-25mm Posters, Surface Streets 4” - 8”
200’ - 300’ Normal 25mm-34mm Posters, Surface Streetsand Highway bulletins
8” - 10”
300’ - 350’ Normal 34mm-66mm Highway Bulletins, Highway Posters
10” - 15”
350’ - 500’ Normal 34mm-66mm Highways, Spectaculars 15” - 20”
500’ - 600’ Low - Normal 66mm-76mm Highways, Spectaculars,Stadiums
20” - 24”
600’ + Low 76mm-90mm Skyscrapers, Spectaculars,Set back from road
24” - 40”
Note: Readability is also dependant on color contrast. Higher contrasts will allow smaller text size. Complicated backgroundsbehind text will also reduce readability.
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KerningSufficient kerning between letters assures legibility fromfar distances. Tight kerning reduces legibility causingadjacent letters to attach together visually. Withoutproper kerning “clear morn” could be interpreted as“dear mom.”
clear morn
clear morn
StackingA single horizontal line of text allows rapid assimilation of amessage without interruption. Multiple text lines increase thetime needed to discern a message.
LeadingIf more than one text line isnecessary, use adequate leadingbetween lines. When a line of textrides on the line below the interplayof descenders and ascenders it willmake a message difficult to read.
Overcrowding. Compressed type ortoo many words will reduce the clarityof a message.
Excessive. Extreme variationsbetween ascending and descendingletter segments and serifs greatlyreduces legibility.
Anemia. Fine typefaces will fade into a background, becomingindistinguishable as the viewing distance increases.
Overweight. Heavy typefaces lose their basic shape when theviewing distance is increased.
Illegibility. Ornate and sans serif typefaces can be difficult toread, reducing the effectiveness of an out of home design.
Good kerning
Bad kerning
Starbucks | Way Cooler Than Iced Tea
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Designing for Digital BillboardsSimplicity is the fundamental guideline for creating good out ofhome designs and the same principles apply when designingfor digital billboards.
Avoid using a white background when designing for LED orother light emitting technologies. White is a mixture of all colorin these situations, rather than an absence of color, and willappear subdued or muddy. White does not carry the samevibrancy that other colors convey.
The perception of color can change depending on the amountof ambient light surrounding a digital out of home display unit.For this reason, rich background colors are more impactfulduring daylight hours, while pastel backgrounds are morevibrant at night and on cloudy days. Digital out of home displaytechnology can automatically compensate for these factors.
FlexibilityTake advantage of the flexibility that digital out of home mediaoffers. Change messages weekly, daily or even hourly. Designwith a creative strategy that tells a story or communicatesnumerous details using multiple design layouts.
ProductionArt files are very small and there are no production or installa-tion charges when utilizing digital out of home media. The preferred file size will vary depending on the size and dot pitchof the unit. It’s a good idea to create the files at actual size. Thisprovides the sharpest possible image by alleviating the need to“down sample” the artwork before use. Down sampling willcause the image to become “fuzzy” and hurt the overall impactof the design. Designing at the actual pixels’ density will preventthe accidental use of extremely small type.
White on Digital White on Vinyl
vs.
Day Night
Coca-Cola | Times Square Digital Display
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OutdoorDRiVETM SimulatorOutdoorDRiVE™ resembles a driving video game with billboardsalong the side of the road. You can choose various settings(highway, city, day and night) and various products (posters,junior posters, bulletins, shelters). The program is availablefrom the OAAA website with downloads for Macintosh andWindows operating systems.
Tactical DesignThe world is a hectic and busy place. Out of home advertisingreaches people whenever and wherever they travel outside oftheir homes.
Consider these important out of home design guidelineswhen using OutdoorDRiVE™:
• Are the fonts easy to read?
• Is the letter size large enough?
• Does the spacing between the letters, words and linesaid legibility?
• Do the colors properly convey a high contrast of valueand hue?
• Are the images comprehensible?
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Location, Location, LocationOut of home advertising conveys the right message, to the rightaudience, at the right time, in the right place. Understanding thedynamics of the marketplace is essential for designing effective
out of home campaigns. In the case ofApple computers, the side of a bus was theonly logical place to feature an image ofcivil rights icon Rosa Parks. Finding therelevant and hidden relationships betweenthe message and the environment makesthe advertising smart.
US Cellular | Magnifying Glass | This bus shelter cleverly highlights the store’s location
Bank of America | Green Monster Scoreboard | Positionedoutside Boston’s Fenway Park, the bulletin mimics the only
manually operated Major League scoreboard
HBO | Deadwood | The interior of a New York subway car is transformed into a western saloon giving riders an immersive experience
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Although many out of home panels have a horizontal for-mat, some displays are vertical. The physical orientation
of an out of home unit will significantly affect the place-ment of design elements such as product identity andthe headline. Orientation will also affect the overall bal-ance of a design. It is important to remember that de-mography, orientation and the geography – DOG – of a
display are all necessary considerations when designingfor the out of home medium.
Another important factor is distance. The impact an out of homeunit will produce is relative to the distance from where it isviewed. A transit shelter advertisement positioned curbside andin close proximity to vehicular traffic and pedestrians can havethe similar impact as a bulletin positioned many yards away.
Time is a factor. It is important to consider the amount of timerequired for a viewer to fully perceive an out of home message.The actual viewing time for a specific out of home unit will varyby location and media format. A subway station poster or airportdiorama design might contain a complex message, since view-ers may have several minutes to reflect on the message whilethey wait for or ride on a train. Mobile advertisements shouldgenerally use fewer design elements than stationary out ofhome units.
Nike | Ready For Your :45?
Seattle Art Museum | Are You Comfortable?
Air New Zealand | Waterfall
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans | Wrinkles
DOGan advertiser’s best friend!DemographyOrientationGeography
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Size MattersSize and production specifications for themost standard out of home displays:
Spectacular BulletinViewing area: 20’h x 60’wEmbellishments are often optionalPainted or printed on vinyl
BulletinViewing area: 14’h x 48’wEmbellishments are often optionalPainted or printed on vinyl
Poster & Mobile BillboardViewing area: 10’5”h x 22’8”wPrinted on single sheet substrate or paper
Junior PosterViewing area: 5’h x 11’wPrinted on single sheet substrate or paper
Transit Shelter Poster & Mall DisplayViewing area: 67”h x 46”wPrinted on transparent paper
King-Size Bus PosterViewing area: 30”h x 144”wPrinted on Fasson vinyl
Queen-Size Bus PosterViewing area: 30”h x 88”wPrinted on Fasson vinyl
Taxi Top PosterViewing area: 14”h x 48”wPrinted on backlit vinyl
Spectacular Bulletin
Poster & Mobile Billboard
Bulletin
Junior Poster
Transit Shelter Poster & Mall Display
Taxi Top Poster
King-Size Bus Poster
Queen-Size Bus Poster
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Going GreenTaking environmentally consciousmeasures isn’t new for the out ofhome industry. The industry hasbeen committed to findingsupplemental uses for used billboard vinyl for many years.More recently, traditional paper-and-paste poster methods havebeen replaced with a new poster installation system thataccommodates polyethylene (PE) and other single sheetsubstrates. The material is lightweight, flexible, and extremelystrong. As a replacement to paper and paste posters, the newsingle-sheet posters have some significant advantages.
• Single sheet posters typically last longer than conventionalpaper and paste posters
• Single sheet posters are easier and safer for workers to install
• When PE posters are removed, they are packaged andshipped to US recycling facilities where they are convertedinto new products that include railroad ties, significantlyreducing landfill waste
PE railroad ties
PE pellets
PE poster
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Recency TheoryOut of home advertising is a frequency medium that providesmultiple exposures to a message throughout the full duration ofa campaign period.
According to Herbert E. Krugman, the managerof corporate public opinion research at GeneralElectric, repeated exposure to advertising canlead to changes in the perceptions of what isimportant about a brand without the consciousor verbal recognition on the consumer’s part.This can also be considered in terms of top-of-mind awareness. Repeated exposure toadvertising creates top-of-mind awareness andrecall.
Defined in the book When Ads Work by JohnPhilip Jones, recency reminds people who arealready in the marketplace that a brand, storeor service is a good choice. To avoid memorydecline, multiple design executions for acampaign should be implementedsimultaneously or introduced at appropriateintervals during the campaign period.
Google | Enterprise | A series of one-line comments changedeach day during the course of a month-long bulletin campaign
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Factors Affecting Message RetentionMultiple Executions Campaigns that use multipleexecutions and a variety of display formats deliver impactand continuity that can extend the awareness of acampaign over time.
Media Weight Out of home campaigns with can experienceawareness decline once consumers learn about messagebenefits. Therefore, fresh creative executions introducedover time will continue to build the awareness and impactof a campaign.
Established Presence Effective out of home designs, usingan appropriate level of media weight, can sustainawareness after a campaign has ended. Studies haveshown there is no significant drop in awareness up to sixweeks after an out of home campaign concludes.
Target Audiences The composite of primary andsubsequent target audiences can affect the longevity of anout of home campaign. By positioning an out of homemessage in relation to specified geographic targets, themessage will more accurately impact the intendeddemographic audiences.
Competition Competitive influences can affect the longevityof an out of home campaign. Competitors who advertisesimilar product benefits or use similar design elements in acampaign will confuse a viewer.
Seasonality People are mobile year-round, so out of homeadvertising is not affected by seasonal cycles of behavior.
The University of Alberta, CanadaMost of the recommendations summarized in thisdocument were developed through research conducted bythe University of Alberta, Canada. The university measured327 out of home recall studies collected between 1978and 1991. The results of the study provided the rationalenecessary to establish guidelines for designing effectiveout of home advertising campaigns.
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The OBIE AwardsThe OBIE Awards are one of the oldest and mostprestigious honors for creative excellence inadvertising. The OBIE name is derived from theancient Egyptian Obelisk, a tall stone structure thatwas used to publicize laws and treaties thousands ofyears ago. Many historians consider the obelisk as thefirst true form of advertising.
Sometimes a simple idea is enough to express anemotion or message. In fact, sometimes a simple ideacan be worth an OBIE Award. These winning campaigns need noexplanation, and that’s exactly why they are OBIE Award winners.
McDonald’s | Fresh Salads
James Ready Beer | Share Our BillboardImodium | Empty Roll
Six Feet Under | Hearse
Barely There | Headlights
Jeep | Fly Swatter
San Francisco Zoo | Butterfly & Peacock
McDonald’s | Sun Dial