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Post · January 20, 2025

BILLBOARD DESIGN BEST PRACTICES

 Billboard Examples:

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An interesting design that promotes the brand and informs the viewer.

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A standard billboard.

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An unconventional approach to billboard design.

Outdoor advertising billboard

An empty canvas.

Magazine Ad Examples

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An Ad promoting Aluminum in a trade magazine.

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An Ad for a Design Company. Illustrating the companies’ skills while promoting themselves in a practical way.

IGC-Power-May-10-commercial-property-ad

The following is on d2l:

ASSIGNMENT

Complete the Following:

  1. Three Billboards (Primary, Secondary, tertiary) (Use “Standard” Sizes)
  2. One “Standard” (highway version)
  3. One Experimental: See Experimental Billboard Description. The dropbox is located on d2l)
  4. One at eye level. (bus station etc…)
  5. There are five billboards and one that is highly experimental. I am expecting storyboards, planning, what technology you will use, etc. You are required to get approval for the experimental billboard before you begin production.
  6. Total of Six.

When completed, incorporate your designs into billboard templates available on the Web. (Creative Commons, Please) https://unblast.com/mockups/

STUDENT EXAMPLES:

Some of the above content was retrieved from: https://www.amba.agency/blog/billboard-design-best-practicesbillboard-design-best-practices

Experimental Billboards

Experimental Ads – IBM’s People for Smart Cities Ad campaign – Billboards are often overlooked and ineffective. That is, until now. Ogilvy & Mather France took billboard advertising to the next level. .

Tropicana

Billboard powered by oranges

Agency: DDB

This billboard harnesses the energy from oranges to illuminate a neon sign that reads “Natural Energy” & the Tropicana logo. Through several thousand spikes of copper and zink, wiring, and 3 months of testing, DDB made a giant multi-cell battery powerful enough to light up a billboard. Unit9 produced the custom build in collaboration with director Johnny Hardstaff who created the accompanying 90second film.

This professional campaign titled ‘Billboard powered by oranges’ was published in France in April, 2011. It was created for the brand: Tropicana, by ad agency: DDB. This Outdoor medium campaign is related to the Soft Drinks industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted about 12 years ago.

3M: Don’t Forget Your Friends, Pink, Don’t Forget Your Friend… • Ads of the World™ | Part of The Clio Network

2005 ONE SHOW – ADVERTISING
LIGHT BULB
AGENCY Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO / London
CLIENT The Economist 

 Creative Vacuum Cleaner Ad

ASSIGNMENT: EXPERIMENTAL BILLBOARD

  • Include implied or actual animation or billboard.
  • The billboard should include a primary message that is seven words or less.
  • Secondary messages or information should be minimal yet still noticeable.
  • Any graphics used should be open source / creative commons. Please verify the images copyright status.
  • Does the message communicate your main idea?
  • Does your message connect to your brand (creative brief and style guide)?
  • Make connections between elements in your billboard and elements that be or appear outside of its boundaries.
  • Please design your billboard using basic aesthetic principles, fonts, composition etc…
  • Present your billboard to me. You will present this particular billboard to the class.

A Dropbox has been made for the Experimental Billboard. This is separate from the other five billboards.

Size: Variable. You will need to pick a real place where your billboard will be placed. (Hypothetically)


Creating effective billboard advertisements requires more than just great design and catchy copy—understanding the specifics of billboard sizing and the technical requirements of your artwork is crucial.

Whether you’re working with print, vinyl, or digital billboards, each type has its specifications that can make or break the success of your campaign. This guide will delve deep into the importance of knowing billboard sizes and provide detailed guidelines for preparing artwork to ensure your billboard looks spectacular and communicates your message effectively to passersby.

2025 Whistler Billboard size dimensions

Print Billboards: Artwork Specifications

Understanding Scale and Resolution

The artwork needs to be prepared in CMYK color mode for print billboards at 300 dpi. However, because of the large size of billboards, the designs are often created at a scaled-down size:

  • Scale Conversion: Typically, the scale is set so that 1 foot of the billboard translates to 0.5 inches on the scaled artwork. This helps manage the file size and makes the design process manageable.

Common Billboard Sizes and Artwork Dimensions

Here’s a breakdown of standard billboard sizes and their corresponding scaled artwork dimensions:

  • 25′ x 48′ Billboard: The artwork needs to be 12.5″ x 24″.
  • 25′ x 40′ Billboard: Prepare your design at 12.5″ x 20″.
  • 24′ x 36′ Billboard: The artwork should be 12″ x 18″.
  • 14′ x 48′ Billboard: Design at 7″ x 24″.
  • 10′ x 32′ Billboard: The scaled size will be 5″ x 16″.
  • 12′ x 40′ Billboard: Create the design at 6″ x 20″.
  • 12′ x 24′ Billboard: The artwork needs to be 6″ x 12″.
  • 12′ x 15′ Billboard: Prepare the artwork at 6″ x 7.5″.

Bartlett, B. (2025). Mastering Billboard Sizing for Your Next Campaign. Retrieved from https://www.whistlerbillboards.com/billboard-mastery/mastering-billboard-sizing-for-your-next-campaign/

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