If you’re planning to invest in a face-to-face marketing project, you are probably juggling now with all the variables, from logistics to lead management. As trade shows have evolved and become increasingly complex, there are some basic elements that remain unchanged: you are there to meet people you want to do business with, and you need them to notice you in a good way.

The first key element to achieve visibility is creating an attractive exhibit. Naturally, if you want your audience to pay attention to you, you should start paying attention to your graphic design. We want to provide sound reasons to invest in your trade show graphics because, frankly speaking, you ought to fear not doing so. With good visual branding in mind, you should get a design that’s tailored to fit your specific booth so it can take advantage of its functional features while adequately communicating your story.

Start with your visual branding

In our experience as manufacturers, many clients provide us with artwork to print that is inadequate. Before you start shopping for trade show displays, you should get your visual branding together. That’s a first reason to get professional graphic design services. Good visual branding for trade show exhibits is not just about the ‘wow’ effect: it entails laser focus branding that considers both and at once your targeted audience and your value proposition, in order to visually connect with your specific audience. You are actually pre-qualifying leads by design,  using graphic design in your display that resonates with your actual potential customers. That’s a very precise goal a good designer will help you with.

Another beneficial result of getting the graphic design expert is that the many choices available for creating your trade show exhibit can be easily narrowed down to a few effective options. Once a decision on your graphics is made, the suitable display configurations emerge naturally. Of course, there are logistic restrictions and venue features to consider, but a good graphic design helps with discarding useless hardware combinations you were considering. Should you include retractable banner stands? Is tension fabric better, or should you go for a vinyl pop up backdrop? Will hanging signs be truly functional for your graphic design? A coherent design has the answers.

What you should be looking for

A basic criterion for good design is considering how it will work as a trade show booth layout: an experienced designer understands visual branding spatially. Trade show exhibits are not flat like a billboard, and function in special ways. The challenge goes beyond producing graphics that both target your audience and highlight your original brand: they have to work like installation art, a three-dimensional piece made for fostering business relationships. For example the use of lighting, curvatures, and accessories to create an ambiance or highlight a brand or product feature.

Since we are experienced in managing large format templates to make sure your top messages are seen and understood, we can also tell you how important it is to get an adequate balance between photography and text, especially regarding size. The font types and their proportion are as important as the location of important data. The rationale behind it all is you are looking for a highly visible trade show display wich at the same time must function as a welcoming and warm space to talk business.

As you can see, your goal is creating an emotional response in your audience, and so, one definitive test for your design is how you feel about it. Sure there are technical details, and they are very important. There are things like color brightness and calibration, a proper layout of graphics to avoid step gradations, the way to achieve true blacks, and how to manage color transitions. All those details we can handle for you here.  As far as predicting the way your attendees will feel about your design, the best you can do is trying to describe as analytically as possible how you feel about it.

Find a provider with love for details

After reading this entry, you may have decided to invest in professional graphic design. But a great design requires great execution. Where to go? Fortunately, there are display providers that offer professional graphic design services to take care of the details. You should find an experienced provider that guarantees the highest quality at the best price. Find a provider you can count on.

Here at DiscountDisplays, we can help you adapt your artwork to create a successful impression on the trade show. And, of course, we have a carefully chosen selection of displays. And yes, we include free graphic design services with your purchase*.

*DiscountDisplays.com offers two hours of free graphic design, guaranteed by extensive experience as trade show exhibit manufacturer and distributor.