Trade Show Display Design
Go with full-size graphics and focus on your message.
Creating an effective trade show display design is really very straightforward. While it is important that your design be eye-catching and get noticed, it is even MORE important that you focus on your message, which means that you first need to figure out WHO your trade show prospect is and then figure out WHAT you have to offer them that is of value to them. Design with your prospect in mind and you can't help but create an effective trade show display.1. Determine who your prospects are.
First you need to determine who will be attending the trade show and which of the attendees will qualify as your prospects. Your prospects are the people who have a need for your product or service and are in a position to buy it. You need to determine who they are, and make sure the trade show you're going to be exhibiting at will have enough of these prospects. You want to focus on and target these prospects, not the general public or anyone else that you won't be able to convert to a customer.
2. Determine what your unique selling point is.
Once you know who your prospects are, you need to determine what your unique selling point is. Simply put, what can you offer your prospect that is of value to them? And what is unique about you - what can you offer that your competitors can't offer?
3. Establish your message.
To my mind, this is the most important element of an effective trade show display design. You need to develop a clear, concise message that targets your prospect and tells them what your unique selling point is. It is best if your message is one or two short sentences, and it must be front and center on your design.
4. Use a full-size eye-catching background image.
I think the best designs have a huge, colorful, eye-catching background image. It’s important, of course, that the image is related to and reinforces your MESSAGE.
A great source for affordable stock photography is iStockphoto. You can easily search their website for any kind of image you want (i.e "screaming baby" or "smiling senior couple on beach"). Whereas most other stock photography websites charge several hundred dollars for a suitable high-resolution image, at iStockphoto you can get the same image for $15 to $20.
With today's high mega-pixel cameras, you can also consider taking your own photo.
It's very important that the image you use be "high resolution". Stock photography websites will generally sell different resolution versions of the same image - with the lower resolution versions being cheaper and the higher resolution versions costing more. If your image is too low of resolution, when it is blown up and printed on the trade show display, the individual pixels will be visible and the image will appear blurry and/or jagged. For a visual example of this looks like (pixelation), and for more information on what "high resolution" means, check out this guide to Digital Image Resolution and DPI Requirements for Trade Show Display Graphics.
5. Remember the Basics
In addition to your MESSAGE, you want to be sure your display design has your company name in big print at the top. While this may seem obvious, I have seen many designs where the company name is down at the bottom or in small print, and it take a person more than a little while to figure who the company is. In addition, it’s a good idea to list what you do and what sets you apart from the competition, if this isn't already incorporated into your message. Finally, keep all of the text simple, big, and easily readable. Most people will only spend a few seconds looking at your display. You need to get your message across fast before they decide to move on to the next trade show booth.
6. Putting it all together (an example)
The sample trade show display design below shows how the above steps are all put together. The background image was purchased from iStockphoto. The design has the company name TITAN INVESTMENT SERVICES (fictional) at the top as well as what they do (mutual funds and annuities) and the competitive advantage they provide - great returns, also fictional :) . The advantage coupled with their slogan "For Your Future, For Your Children’s Future", combine to create their message of what's in it for their prospect. The display is eye-catching (who wouldn't want to look at that smiling baby) and simple, and the text is quickly read and understood.
(sample trade show display design courtesy of Pinnacle Displays)
7. Insure your trade show display is covered with full-size graphics.
Wide format printing has become quite affordable, and so have full-size graphic trade show displays. Because you need your trade show display to stand out from all the other hundreds of trade show displays, I wouldn't settle for anything less than complete full-size, full-color graphics.
I recommend you consider the Signature trade show display at Pinnacle Displays (full disclosure ~ I work for Pinnacle Displays). With their patented Signature trade show display, you can download a design template from their website and create your very own design, just like the sample design above. Pinnacle Displays also has a gallery of one hundred real-life sample trade show display designs for you to browse through to get creative ideas, and they offer easy, secure online ordering for all of their trade show displays.
- Remember that the most important element of an effective trade show display design is that it has a clear and simple MESSAGE that is focused on your prospect and/or customer. Your message should tell them "what's in it for them". Always keep your customer in mind, focus on their needs, tell them how you'll help them, and you can't go wrong.
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