When banner design is mentioned, it is generally electronic banners on emails and websites that first come to mind. However, the more traditional, ‘old school’ marketing methods have made a comeback, and new tech means that banners and external signage is now increasingly greener and more detailed than ever before.
Traditional advertising banners have been around for a very long time, either hanging up outside businesses on the high street or across underpasses and archways. In the UK, hoardings have been used for billboard and banner adverts since the 1800s. The circus was one of the first businesses to use these outdoor banners to advertise on church doors. This allowed businesses to advertise in designated areas for specific people and brought to the fore the importance of standing out amongst the crowd.
Over the past two decades, technology evolved to allow the banner to make a resurgence online. The electronic banner is now just as popular as the tried-and-tested billboards and banners of old, but is seen as a distraction by some internet browsers. A variety of ad-blocking software is now being used and internet or online banners have arguably reached their peak.
Ironically, it is technology that is also now bringing the traditional banner back onto our high streets in a cleaner, brighter way. Entire building mesh wraps and mesh banners for large area coverings are now quite common and the detail now possible using digital design and printing is incredible.
Jump Ahead To:
How tech helped bring banners back
The proliferation of online banners has created digital banner blindness and ad fatigue – most online users have found that there are just too many mobile banners moving across their screens, so they block these. Advertising has thus begun to revert to the tried-and-tested physical street level banner. As technology changes and advances, it continues to allow improvements to be made in banner design. The technology now allows for the digital design of banners of great detail and intricacy, allowing for banners to be designed and created exactly as we want or need them to be. A great example in this sector is Soyang Europe, a firm that creates bespoke banners and posters using a wide range of materials.
The pros of banners
Printed banners can come in all shapes and sizes, and space for the message is hardly ever an issue. These attention-grabbing marketing tools provide a great tactic for a customised message that speaks directly about your USP to your target audience. Modern technology means that banners can be printed in myriad designs, shapes, colours and styles to suit your brand and promote a particular service or product.
It’s a constant – hung up in the right place, the message is on 24/7. However, it can also be adaptable to different spaces because it is mobile, allowing you to place these banners indoors or outdoors, as required. Bespoke printed banners can thus be created and moved to specific events or to deliver a key message in a central location.
It would seem that the banner has come full circle. From a time when the shop-front banner or high street posters were the limits of advertising, the industry moved to online mobile banners and it seems will now go back to the physical banner. Printed banners are easy to upgrade, quick to adapt to market changes and because they are digital, can be designed to the highest specifications. Regardless of why you are thinking of printed banners, their advantages are clear. The aim remains the same throughout: to grab the customers’ attention and ensure increased traffic to your store.