The Complete Guide to Planning and Branding Custom Signs and Banners for Big Events

Are you a small business looking to establish your name at the local farmers’ market? Is your medium-sized company introducing new services to more customers? Is your startup looking for profitable partnerships at a trade show? While the personal interactions in these events will assure these opportunities, banners, and signs are the most prominent means to showcase your brand. According to Canon’s Print for Action Survey, 7 in 10 Americans read a mix of print and digital media. In terms of promotions and advertising, people tend to recall print ads more than online marketing.

And when it comes to events and tradeshows, the custom signs and banners shine the most for attracting potential clients and customers to your booth. While the competition is fiercer at bigger events, getting the right person’s attention will help you establish partnerships with long-term customers or suppliers.

Each event has a specific goal and target audience, so you’ll also have to keep in mind their needs and preferences. This should also reflect your vinyl banner and signage.

This article aims to help you distinguish your brand from the others using the best designs, color combinations, and copy that promotes your business’s impactful message.

Align Your Main Goal and Branding Strategy

Define a branding strategy based on your company's goal of attending the event. A brand strategy details how the customer perceives and experiences your business, whatever the action or medium. Public events offer the most face-to-face experience between your brand and the customer. Still, you need to align your goals with the type of event you are attending.

• For smaller, community-based events like a farmer's market or an outdoor pop-up bazaar are focused on sales.
  • Are you introducing a new product line through a showcase to expand your market?
• When it comes to trade shows, the goal is more on client-building and brand awareness.
  • Is your business looking to expand partnerships or educate your staff?
• Business conferences and symposiums are usually held to achieve the highest level of business-client interaction.
  • Is my brand reputation strong enough to keep these clients? Can this help expand my business further?

See how your branding strategy can shift effectively depending on the event while aligning your promotions to your goals.

Choose the Best Signs and Banners for the Event

Make a list of the custom signs and custom banners you’ll use based on your brand strategy and event goals. Below are some staples and suggestions for the general goal of events like a trade show or farmers’ market:

A complete trade show setup: 



Welcome attendees to your conference: 



Personalize your booth at the Farmer’s Market: 

Apply Your Brand Guidelines Across Your Custom Banners and Signs

 Brand guidelines ensure consistency across your print and digital marketing. Refer to these guidelines every time your company needs visual advertisements or defining specific messaging. Use the list below as a checklist of the common fonts, symbols, colors, and the like the banners and signs will share: 

• Typography – This refers to how headlines, sub-headlines, and paragraphs are arranged for your brand. Banners and signs must have large, readable texts to ensure attendees can see and read your message properly.
• Brand colors – Include primary and secondary color palettes that can represent your branding well. Most businesses use color psychology to choose proper combinations that make their brand identifiable. Stick to one or two colors that work on both CMYK and RGB schemes, so your branding can be recognizable in both print and digital platforms respectively.
• Imagery such as the illustrative or photographic style – A consistent imagery style ensures your product is showcased properly or that abstract concepts about your service are executed clearly. Apply the appropriate imagery style to a vinyl banner that focuses on one visual element. Ensure that your images are high-quality and vibrant, fitting your banner design and sign layout.

• Personas – The fictional profiles of your target audience are always kept in mind whether you’re designing a feather flag, poster, or Google ad. See which persona is likely to attend the event and focus your messaging on them.
• Positioning – This specifies how your brand will be positioned in the customer’s mind. One statement should summarize how your product or service benefits them, while another serves as call-to-action that will leave a mark on customers’ minds. Positioning is also relevant to your custom sign and banner layout.
• Messaging and tone of voice – Messaging defines what exactly your brand will communicate and how it will be communicated to the persona. It is the foundation for all your communications, whether visual or textual. The tone of voice specifies messaging with how you communicate with the target audience. Keep these in mind while crafting the copy on your custom signs or banners.
  

Integrate Digital Strategies to Your Custom Signs and Banners

To make your banners and signs more engaging, add simple interactive elements like QR codes. These codes should link to your business website, where customers can browse for more information about products, services, or special offers. These interactive methods make it easy for clients to connect with your brand, keeping them interested and involved during the event.

Keep the Design Simple and Focused 

No matter how small or large the sign, the text on display needs to be as short and concise as possible. Keep the text minimal and focus on the visual or imagery elements. Also, plan your layout, including the blank and white spaces, since it’s crucial not to overdesign your signage. Try to limit clutter as much as possible.

Conclusion

Ready to explore custom banner printing or signs? Check out the options available at UPrinting, where you can customize every detail. Complete your branded displays with these marketing event staples:

• Vinyl Banners 
• Retractable Banners 
• Step and Repeat Banners
• Poster Signs 
• Mounted Posters
• Floor Graphics

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Vinyl Banners

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Step and Repeat Banners

Poster Signs

Mounted Posters

Floor Graphics