Getting it Right - Maximizing Your Message

When you are designing a banner to promote your band, it is a good idea to pay close attention to the wording that you will use. Since a banner has a limited amount of space, it is important to maximize your message. To assist you in this process, we have provided helpful steps that will walk you through from the initial phase to the final product.

Step 1 - What do you need to say with your banner? If you are using a banner to promote the name of your band, this will be very simple. However, many banners are designed to include slogans, or more information.

In this first phase, it is important to figure out exactly what you want your banner to do, before you figure out what you want it to say. Is the banner going to be used to promote specific appearances or the band in general? Will you be using the banner to sell products, or just to announce the name of your band? These questions will help you to decide what your banner should say about you.

Step 2 - Paring down your message. Once you have settled on the general message that you want your banner to display, it is time to start paring this message down. For example, if your band banner is going to read "Cousin Bob's Fancy Country Western Band: The Best Music West of the Mississippi" this may not fit on a banner.

This step should be used to find out what is absolutely essential to the banner and what wording is not necessary. This example phrase could be pared down to "Cousin Bob's Western Band: The Best in the West." This edited phrase has been pared down from thirteen words to nine words.

Step 3 - Adding other elements. Now that you have pared down your message, you should have more room to add other design elements to your banner. By adding graphics to your sign, you can increase the overall visual appeal.

However, it is important not to add too many graphics to the banner. Try for a balanced approach, where an even amount of graphics are used. They should be spaced around the text so that they support your message and not overwhelm it.

Step 4 - Lay it out. Now that you have decided on the elements that you are going to use on your sign, take some time to lay it out on a test sheet of paper. You can normally find a large roll of banner paper, or you can even use sheets of continuous printer paper for this purpose. Block out your text and graphics on this paper so that you can see how the overall finished product will look. By using actual paper that is the same size as your banner, you can get a much better idea of how the banner will look instead of using your computer screen.

You can then make any necessary adjustments, change the font size, or remove additional words so that your finished banner will contain your maximized message. This process should assist you in creating a banner that will effectively promote your band.