Trade show marketing specialists worldwide understand that high-impact graphics are an essential part of a successful exhibiting program. Many exhibitors spend thousands of dollars on expensive booth components, leaving little money left over to pay for graphic design. This common mistake proves fatal to many trade show marketing campaigns and results in a reduced level of satisfaction with the trade show system. Taking care to create well designed, vibrant graphics will make a noticeable impact on any trade show marketing campaign.
Simple Design for Trade Shows
The first rule of trade show graphic design is to keep it simple. Trade show displays are not museum exhibits, so it is important to avoid graphics with a lot of text and bullet points. Trade show graphics should use simple layouts that place the company name in a very prominent position, and should attempt to convey a message that can be understood in a matter of seconds. It is estimated that exhibitors have less than three seconds to capture the attention of visitors and attendees, and large blocks of text will cause confusion.
Using bold colors is another great way to attract attention to your trade show exhibit booth. The color of well designed trade show graphics should be one of the most vibrant colors in the logo of the company. For example, if trade show graphics are being designed for a company with a logo that is green and gray, it is probably a good idea to use your company’s green as the primary color of the display instead of gray.
Visually Represent Abstract Ideas
When designing graphics for a trade show marketing program, be careful to visually represent any abstract ideas. For example, if a design firm was contracted to create a display for a company that sells orange juice, they might want to impress upon visitors that the finished product is very fresh and natural. The design firm would have much more success conveying that message by creating a single image of a large orange than by listing out the characteristics of the orange juice in bullet points. It is very important to visually represent ideas to make the biggest impact possible.
Designing trade show graphics can be challenging, but it is important not to overcomplicate the matter. The goal of any trade show graphic should be to highlight the brand name and products of a specific company in a way that attracts visitors and attendees to your trade show booth. Careful planning and expert design can result in drastically improved performance for a company that exhibits often.