Graphics are an essential element of any exhibit or trade show booth. But they do more than just look nice. Graphics are your strongest communicators; they direct traffic to your booth, reinforce your brand, provide information about your company and connect emotionally with your audience. Regardless of the size of your budget, following a few simple guidelines will ensure that your signage is successful.

Message: Graphics are powerful communicators, so make sure they are saying the right things. Ask yourself a few basic questions to ensure that you are on the right track. Who am I? What am I selling? How can I benefit my target market?

Design: If your company has a corporate style guide, it will serve as your reference for choosing colours, fonts and images for your graphic display. For maximum visual impact, choose contrasting or complimentary colours. Choose a highly legible font for your text. Large images must be hi-res; big low-res images look fuzzy and unprofessional. If large, hi-res images aren’t in your budget, strategically place smaller, low-res images to create impact.

Text: Any text should be brief and legible. Attendees can read short messages while passing by and read clear, well-spaced text from afar. Don’t bombard people with lots of text. Attract them with relevant, enticing, well-chosen words. You can provide more information – like specifications, statistics and pricing – to interested attendees in the form of brochure or web url.

Placement: Again, it’s all about visibility. If you want to attract traffic from far away, mount a graphic on a tower or a ceiling treatment. To engage those passing by or visiting your booth, place graphics at eye level. Don’t place graphics any lower than waist height, they generally won’t get noticed.

Production: Communicate with your design production company often and effectively. Make sure that you provide art in the correct image file formats and request proofs often. It’s much easier – and cheaper – to make a change or correct a mistake in the early stages of production.

Back-up Plan: You never know what could happen at the eleventh hour. Always have a contingency plan worked out in case something goes wrong at the last minute. Ensure that your art files are remotely accessible or saved to a memory stick.