Bad Billboard/Good Billboard In order to help you identify and avoid common design mistakes in developing your billboard, we have provided examples of design flaws and cures below. Each sample sign on the left shows a common error. The sign on the right fixes that error. Too Much Copy Effective Copy The sign on the left has good color contrast and easy-to-read fonts, but there is too much copy. Drivers only have a few seconds to read your sign. Tell them the most important information -- only what's necessary. Extra copy takes longer to read, clutters the sign, and causes the copy to be too small and, thus, ineffective. The sign on the right only gives the most important information. Most restaurants that are open 24 hours serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and take credit cards. Everyone says they have great food. So these pieces of information are unnecessary. You can read more about letter visibility here. Bad Color Contrast Good Color Contrast The sign on the left has easy-to-read fonts and an effective amount of copy. The colors, however, conflict, making the text difficult to read. Copy should stand out against the background like it does on the right. Black and yellow or black and white provide the most high impact color combinations. View more color combinations in descending effectiveness here. Bad Fonts Good Fonts This sign has effective copy and colors, but the choice in fonts, or typefaces, makes it difficult to read. Lightly stroked fonts and scriptive fonts are illegible, especially from a distance. Seriffed fonts, such as the one used for "HBO" on the left, are generally less readable than sans-seriffed fonts like those for "HBO" on the right. Avoid too many fonts. Avoid light fonts. Avoid fancy fonts. Read more about letter visibility here. Please, call toll-free, 800-221-4114, with any questions. meadow@meadowoutdoor.com sales@meadowoutdoor.com