Yard signs are an excellent, effective choice to fill your outdoor advertising needs since they are affordable, durable, and easy to place and move around to where they are needed. Here are Seven Easy Tips to get started with Yard Sign design and advertising.

1. High Contrast Is Key

High contrast designs both grab attention and increase legibility. Think of popular logos such as Coca-Cola’s high contrast RED on WHITE or WHITE on RED. The same principle applies to using high contrast in outdoor advertising. It’s crucial your sign is easy to read, especially if you are relying on it being read from passing traffic.  Contrast is what makes text or logos “pop” in a design. When creating or customizing a design make sure your colors separate enough from each other.

2. Less Is More

It’s been said many times, and it’s worth saying again: when it comes to designs, most often, less complicated designs are more effective. This holds true with creating a yard sign. If you keep your wording to a minimum amount needed to get your message across you prevent overcrowding by allowing more white space (the free space around your text or other design elements), make the sign quicker to read, and ensure your main message is not lost in a sea of other information.

3. Keep It Simple

Not only do you want to be using fewer words you also want to be using SIMPLE words. Now is not the time to flex your vocabulary or dig out a thesaurus. Keep your wording simple and easy to read for any level of reader to reach the largest audience. No one is going to dust off the dictionary to make sense of your sign.

4. Arrows Are Awesome

Simplicity at its finest. Arrows grab and immediately direct attention, and save valuable space on your design. Using this universally understood symbol is a sure way to get your message across at lightning speed to anyone viewing your sign. Make sure to think about where you want to place your signs when choosing a design with arrows. Consider buying two variants: one for pointing left and one for pointing right to maximize the effective locations they can be placed.

5. Move Them Around

One of the best advantages of yard signs is how easy they are to move around. Yard signs are highly portable so take advantage of it! Humans get used to their surroundings. Something as simple as moving a sign from the left side of a road to the right side after a while can recapture someone’s attention once again. Or try your sign in a new location altogether and see if you get more response. You aren’t tied down with yard signs.

6. Think Outside The Yard

They may be called YARD signs but they are highly versatile. Place them in windows, on walls, on doors, hang them from the ceiling (fishing line is great for this), or even have someone hold them to display at an event or to draw in customers to your business or fundraiser. You aren’t limited to just sticking them in the ground with h stakes so use your imagination and get noticed!

7. Get A Second (or Third) Opinion

Preview your design to a friend you trust to give you an honest opinion. They might see something you didn’t; a spelling error, awkward wording, or poor color choice. It only takes a second to do and can be valuable information for improving your design. Who wouldn’t want instant, free feedback? If you feel stuck – using an existing, customizable template is a solid way to lock down a professional and effective design.

Utilize these easy to implement tips on your next design and see the difference!