Even with the proliferation of online marketing, billboard advertising is still one of the most commonly used ways to advertise to the public masses. Though digital advertising is great because it allows marketers to segment their audiences and serve up content specific to those individual audiences, billboard advertising remains an effective way to ensure that a massive audience will see your brand message.

That being said, there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to make billboard ads. A good billboard will be easy to understand, memorable, and encapsulates your brand with one punchy message. And you need to make sure it’s noticeable to drivers passing by at speed.

1 - Colours need to contrast
While white text on a yellow background may look great on print, it doesn’t really look great at speed when you’re zipping by the billboard on the highway.

You need to ensure that the text and the background contrast so that your message doesn’t get lost in the noise. This goes especially for billboards with text on top of a background image. For example, white text on a floral background will be entirely illegible at a glance.

Rather opt for a high contrast colour scheme so that your message will stand out.

2 - Font needs to be readable
While that fancy script font may perfectly encapsulate your brand, it’s probably not the best to use on a billboard.

Stick to plain, simple and bold fonts for your billboards. A cursive script can be difficult to read at a glance, and if your ad can’t be read at a glance it’s a wasted ad.

3 - Please proofread
Spelling errors can totally be avoided. Proofreading may seem like a tedious process, but it definitely pays off in the end. One proofreader is never enough. Get at least three people to check all copy before it goes to print.

You will look unprofessional if you forget to correct your text. The internet is full of posts about hilariously misspelled billboards; don’t become a laughing stock.

4 - Make your message clear and on-brand
Is your billboard too high level? A clever message is essential to creating an effective billboard, but it also needs to be easy to understand. People will remember a clever message, but if they don’t understand it immediately, there’s not much of a point.

Also take care that your message is aligned with your brand. In order to ensure this, you can create a short list of brand values and then compare all your copy against those values.

5 - Bad images
Billboards come in a range of sizes and shapes, so it’s imperative that your designer is aware of the dimensions and orientation of the billboard so that the images fit.


Try to avoid busy images with loads of detail - just like your text, the image should be simple, to the point, and stir up an emotional response. Because getting an emotional response from an image is so important, it’s best to take your own photos or create your own illustrations - that way your billboard will be unique and memorable.