Get Creative

Great creative is a key component of a successful advertising campaign.

While placement, location and timing are all important, great creative can often be the difference maker.

If you are designing your own creative, below are some guidelines and tools to assist you.

• Designing for OOH
• Designing for digital
• Creative Simulation
• Art / Production Specs

• Guidelines & Specifications for Designing Out-of-Home

  Simplicity is the fundamental guideline for creating good out-of-home design. The most effective out-of-home designs capture the essence of a message with lucid expression. For this reason, good out-of-home design can lead to better advertising executions in other media.

  Quick Tips for Good Out-of-Home Design

  • Product Identification
    Make sure you can read the advertiser's name.
  • Short Copy
    No more than 10 words total, and 5 words in the headline.
  • Short Words
    Use short words for faster comprehension.
  • Large and Legible Type
    Words are viewed from distances of 400-800 feet. Any text that is integral to the design should be as large as possible. (See chart and notes below)
  • Increase Line Thickness
    At 600 feet, thin lines optically disappear.
  • Forget "The Whitespace" Rule
    This rule does not apply to Outdoor. Unlike Print, the actual viewing size is too small. It's like having a 1"x3" newspaper ad with a lot of white space.
  • Bold Colors
    Dare to be bold! Being subtle at 600 feet doesn't work.
  • High Contrast
    High contrast means better visibility.
  • Simplify Everything
    Focus on one key idea or message.
  • View From 15 Feet
    View your creative from 15 feet. This simulates viewing from the road.
    Does it read well? Make sure your art is legible before it hits the streets.
  • View For 5 Seconds
    View your creative for 5 seconds. This simulates driving past the billboard.
    Can you read the entire message in 5 seconds, if not your drivers will miss your message too.

  Color Frequency and Vibration for Traditional Outdoor (Reflective not Digital)

  Like sound waves, light rays have varying wave lengths or frequencies. Some pigments absorb light while others reflect it. Reflected frequencies are perceived as color. Complementary colors, such as red and green, are not legible together because they have similar values that cause the wave lengths to vibrate. Any combination of similar color value (even without vibration), will produce low visibility. Yellow and black are dissimilar in both hue and value providing the strongest contrast for out-of-home design. White complements colors with light values.

  

  Contrast

  Strong contrast in hue and value is essential for creating good out-of-home design. Hue is the identity of color while value measures a color's lightness or darkness. Contrasting colors are best when viewing out-of-home designs from far distances.

  

  The 14 color combinations above represent the best use of color contrast for readability on traditional or reflective content. Example one is the most legible color combination while example 14 is the least legible.

  Note: Digital LED units and other back light displays have some subtle differences in contrasts. A chart is not yet available but an example of the difference is that most bright/light colors work well on a black background.

  Image

  Advances in production technology are allowing advertisers to use increasingly complex imagery in their creative application. However, the requirements for effective outdoor advertising have remained the same — imagery must be bold, clear and easy to understand.

  

  Strong images against simple backgrounds create high-impact visuals. The Image on the left is a good example.

  Legibility of Typefaces

  Kerning

  Sufficient kerning between letters assures the legibility test from far distances. Tight kerning reduces legibility causing adjacent letters to attach together visually. Without proper kerning "clear morning" could be interpreted as "dear moming."

  Stacking

  A single horizontal line of text allows rapid assimilation of a message without interruption. Multiple text lines increase the time needed to discern a message.

  Leading

  If more than one text line is necessary, use adequate leading between lines. When a line of text rides on the line below the interplay of descenders and ascenders it will make a message difficult to read.

  • Crowding letters into a restricted space will reduce legibility.
  • Severely contrasting letter strokes will lose definition when viewed from far distances.
  • Thin typefaces will become invisible from far distances.
  • Bulky typefaces lose distinction between letters.
  • Script typefaces are difficult to read at any distance.

  Text Legibility Guide

  Distance in Feet	Print Resolution	Resolution	Examples	Minimal Text Height in Inches	Minimal Discernible Text for Disclaimers
  5' - 50'	High	LCD	Malls, Airports, Retail, Lobbies, Office etc.	1" - 2"	1" - 2"
  50' - 100'	High	6mm-12mm	Window, Street Display, Drive through	2" - 4"	2" - 4"
  100' - 200'	Normal	12mm-18mm	Posters, Surface Streets	4" - 8"	4" - 6"
  200' - 300'	Normal	18mm-20mm	Posters, Surface Streets and highway bulletins	8" - 10"	6"
  300' - 350'	Normal	20mm-24mm	Highway Bulletins, Highway Posters	10" - 15"	6"
  350' - 500'	Normal	24mm	Highways, Spectaculars	15" - 20"	8"
  500' - 600'	Low - Normal	24mm	Highways, Spectaculars, Stadiums	20" - 24"	8"
  600' +	Low	30+ mm	Skyscrapers, Spectaculars, Set back from road	24" - 40"	9"
  Note: Readability is also dependant on color contrast. Higher contrasts will allow smaller text size. Complicated backgrounds behind text will also reduce readability.

  Disclaimers

  Text that needs to be included for legal reasons, viewed in photographs, or by someone standing closer with the intent of reading the disclaimer can be substantially smaller. Any high resolution printed material can have letters as small as 1". Printed vinyl for bulletins and posters can have text as small as 2". Digital LED displays depend on the resolution of the display and need to include at least 8 LED diodes. (Example: A 20 mm display will have one LED diode every 20 mm so 20 x 8 = 160 mm or about 6 inches. So on a 20 mm LED digital display text should not be any smaller than 6” actual size.

  (Note: Most LED digital bulletin and poster displays are 16mm - 25 mm)

• Guidelines & Specifications for Designing Digital Out-of-Home

  Simplicity is the key to creating great out-of-home design.

  A billboard's main purpose is functionality. Creating a billboard is mainly about making it read. Even the best design is worthless if it is not legible from a distance. It is only after legibility has been mastered that creativity can follow.

  Although very similar, there are variances in designing for digital as opposed to traditional out-of-home. With that in mind, listed here are clear channel outdoor's recommended guidelines for designing a digital billboard.

  • Make the text large
    Outdoor designs should be simple, clear and easy to read. Digital bulletins should be legible from 500 feet away.
  • Use bold, non-serif fonts
    Always use large, legible typefaces. At 500 feet, thin lines optically fade or break up. Avoid decorative, italic, or serif fonts. As a general rule, upper and lower case sans serif fonts provide the best readability. When designing for digital outdoor, we highly recommend adding a thin dark stroke around the text to separate it from the background.
  • Stick to one message or idea
    Simplify everything. Don't present a complex message or numerous images. Have one thing that you want your audience to do or to recognize. The best outdoor media reduces a complex message to it's essential elements.
  • Be short and sweet
    Use no more than ten words total on the entire billboard – and that includes the logo/product tagline. We recommend seven words or less for the headline. Keep the words short for faster comprehension.
  • Color
    Use only rgb color files for digital displays. Design as you would for a website, tv or computer monitor.
  • Avoid white backgrounds
    To achieve white, a combination of all three colors must be turned on to their maximum brightness. Consequently, white backgrounds will wash out and compete with the remainder of your creative.
  • Use bright, bold colors
    Stick with fully saturated web-safe hues. Complimentary colors, such as red and green, are not legible together because they have similar value. Contrasting color combinations work best for viewing outdoor designs at far distances.
  • Design with high contrast
    Being subtle does not work at great distances. Strong contrast in both hue and value are essential for creating good digital out-of-home.
  • Pick your image wisely
    Take a small object and make it large (like a watch) rather than a large object small (like a building). Avoid using landscapes or complex scenes. We recommend 3 visual elements or less, total. For example: 1 image, 1 logo and 1 headline.
  • Forget about white space
    White space does not apply in outdoor like in printed material. Increase your logo, font sizes and imagery. Having unused visual space at 300 - 500 feet is not recommended.
  • Test your idea
    A billboard is not a print ad, the average viewing time is only about 5 seconds. A good test is to show the design to someone from a distance for only 5 seconds and then ask them about it. Did they understand it? Who was the advertiser? What do they think the advertiser wants them to do?

  Digital Production Requirements

  Digital Bulletin

  File Size	400 pixels h X 1400 pixels w
  File Type	Uncompressed JPEG
  Color Mode	RGB

  Digital Poster

  File Size	400 pixels h X 840 pixels w
  File Type	Uncompressed JPEG
  Color Mode	RGB

• Creative Simulation

  OAAA OOH Mockup Generator

  The Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s OOH Mockup Generator allows you to view billboard, street furniture and transit creative in the environment. Once you have uploaded your creative, you will be able to zoom in and out to see the work at a range of distances, share the rendering with colleagues and clients, and print out a copy for your records.

  Requires (free) registration with the OAAA website.

  Visit oohmockupgenerator.oaaa.org

• Art Production Specifications

  The specifications detailed here represent our standard/typical national sizes. Due to structure variations and local ordinances, sizes may vary by market. Please verify final size and specifications with your Clear Channel Representative prior to the creation and production of any artwork.

  Billboards

  • Bulletins (14' X 48')
  • Bulletins (10'6" X 36')
  • Bulletins (20' X 60')
  • Digital Billboards
  • Junior Posters
  • Posters
  • Premiere Panels
  • Premiere Squares

  Street Furniture

  • Transit Shelters
  • San Francisco Newsracks

  Transit

  • Bus (sizes and specifications vary greatly across markets; contact your sales representative for details)
  • Commuter Rail (sizes and specifications vary greatly across markets; contact your sales representative for details)