subject: Using Design Principles For Effective Trade Show Displays [print this page] There are many standard principles of graphic design that should be applied to trade show booths for maximum impact on attendees. While many of these rules may seem very basic, ignoring them can lead to exhibits that lack coherence, fail to attract and keep attention, and generally fade into the background.
Companies should employ exhibit designers who adhere to these design principles. This ensures that their trade show displays will successfully stand out at shows, clearly demonstrate new products or services offered, and end up helping gain new customers.
Embrace Color Relationships And Contrast
Color is one of the most important elements of design. Colors used in trade show booths can send out all kinds of different signals and be used to create moods, highlight objects and text, and provide a feeling of unity. However, it is crucial to use color correctly. Certain colors look great together, while others can clash horribly. It is important to consider the idea of complementary colors. Complementary colors are those that are opposite from each other on the color wheel: red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and purple. Designers often use these pairs of colors or their variations (like pink instead of red) in designing things like brand logos and trade show displays.
When talking about color, value must be mentioned as well. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color - sky blue as opposed to navy blue. With value comes contrast. Value is able to provide the maximum contrast available and is useful for controlling visibility and, therefore, attention. The strongest contrast in art is the contrast between black and white. If products in trade show booths were black, and were placed against a black background, attendees would not be able to see them. If your company has standard black show displays, it is important to place lighter colored graphics in front of them to catch attention.
Control Attention In Trade Show Booths
Attention is controlled not only by contrast, but also by the placement and style of objects, graphics, and text. When designing show exhibits, it is important to have a focal point and let something shine as the dominant feature. Larger objects are often very good focal pieces. Consider placing what you want to emphasize the most in the center of your exhibit, because it is where the viewer's eye naturally goes first. You might also use isolation when designing trade show booths. Having important products isolated in one area of the display will also draw attention to them.
Create Unity
Unity is an important design principle; it means that an agreement exists among the elements in a design. In other words, they look as though they belong together. Variety is the opposite of unity, but the two should ideally work together. Unity with variety is when we talk about creating art, or trade show booths, that have enough variety to hold visitors' interest, while still containing elements that appear to belong together. For instance, have pieces in your exhibit that go together, but pick one really stand-out product to emphasize.
By keeping these design principles in mind when creating trade show displays, your company will be able to attract attendees' attention and ultimately increase business.
