The Art of Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising has a very long history – its first traces come from Egypt, Greece and Babylon, and their age is estimated at over 5,000 years. Over the following millennia, outdoor advertising has undergone many changes that have determined its current state. Until the beginning of the 19th century, signs, posters and the first billboards were painted by hand, only the invention of lithography enabled their mass reproduction. At the end of the 19th century, the first initiatives to standardize the dimensions of advertising media and connect them in the network began to appear. Currently, we can distinguish their basic types, which have a common, worldwide form.

In Poland, the most popular outdoor advertising medium is the billboard. In the standard version, it has an area of ​​12m2 (dimensions 5.04×2.36m or 3x4m). The enlarged version – cityboard – has an area of ​​18m2 and dimensions 3x6m. Together with 4x8m, 3x12m and 4x12m media, it belongs to the group of large-format media. Billboards are located mainly in city centers and on the outskirts, cityboards are most often placed on roads with high traffic.

Number of outdoor advertising media in Poland as of 31.12.2012 according to the OOH Sales Report published by the Outdoor Advertising Chamber of Commerce:

Global trends are leading to an increasing prevalence of 6x3m media, which are the basis of image campaigns, while city centers are dominated by citylight media (media with a different specificity, allowing the recipient to have extended contact with the message).

The basic goal of outdoor advertising is to attract attention – often from a large distance and in a very short time. Different recipients come into contact with such advertising, most often several times with the same message. What should be on the billboard so that the message is understood, properly received and does not get boring with subsequent contact?

Two levels of outdoor advertising design can be distinguished: the idea (message concept) and its execution. The first is ambiguous and difficult to put into rigid frames – it depends on the subject of the advertisement, the characteristics of the target group, the goal of the campaign. The second is more universal – it can be assumed that there are specific guidelines for the implementation of a good project:

• Simplicity – the billboard should convey a clear, unambiguous message – the more is happening in the image, the harder it is for the recipient to understand and remember the message. It is worth considering the justification for using each element and reducing their number as much as possible.
• A few words – the texts on the billboard should not be long (maximum 6-8 words), if there are sentences, they should be short, readable at one glance.
• Clear font – it should be legible, with appropriate spacing between letters, allowing all the texts placed on the billboard to be read from the intended distance.
• Contrasting colours – preferably basic ones that catch the eye. The four most effective colours are: black, white, red and yellow – distinguishing them from each other is not problematic, and they also stand out against the background of the blue sky, green trees and pastel colours of most buildings.
• Brand exposure – the billboard must correspond to the brand image and the strategic goals of the campaign – even the best graphic design will not fulfill its role if it is inconsistent with the purpose of its creation..

Most often, the composition of outdoor advertising consists of an image (photograph, graphics, illustrations), body copy (slogan, descriptive forms, longer texts) and the brand logo. In the flood of advertisements on the streets, it is particularly important to achieve the synergy effect of these elements – appropriately harmonized, mutually reinforcing will have greater impact and will be more likely to be noticed.

The idea is very important in advertising – even the best artistic creation will not make up for the lack of an idea. On the other hand, an image that is too intrusive can overshadow a very good concept, distracting the recipient and making it difficult for them to understand its meaning. A good graphic design should help in reading the message and evoking a specific, predetermined reaction in the recipient (impulse to buy, instilling a good opinion about the brand).

An example of well-thought-out billboards is the outdoor campaign for Frugo drinks. The design is based on the strong colors of the brand – green, orange and black (these are the colors of the most popular products). The layout is very simple, and it presents the product well. Only small attributes are added to the bottle (gangster coat and necklace, unbuttoned top, smoke rising from the neck) emphasized by short descriptions.

Thanks to this simple procedure, the bottles of the drink become characters for the recipient – a rap star, a provocative woman, a laid-back buddy who likes to smoke. The product is aimed mainly at young people, so the advertising message has been adapted to the target group, while at the same time it does not offend older people.

Some billboard designs have an extremely strong impact. The idea, simplicity of creation, execution on a larger scale mean that they gain life beyond the street and the time of their exposure. Photographed by observers and then sent further or placed on the Internet, they reach new recipients in different places around the world. This makes them change from outdoor advertising into viral advertising.

Outdoor advertising does not have to be the enemy of the city. It can be a decoration that will make the space more attractive and colorful. In the flood of advertising messages, more and more interesting, original forms appear. It is worth noting how great benefits a good advertising project can bring – thanks to the interest of recipients, it can gain a second life and significantly increase the range of its impact.