What Are The Best Fonts For Outdoor Advertising?

There are many things we must take into consideration when designing ads and signs, including the best fonts for advertising and outdoor sign design. One of those things is using the best fonts for outdoor advertising. Here are a few tips for ensuring your signs are branded, easy to read, and effective.

Not The Same Font As Your Printed POP

The font you use for your logo, website, online marketing, and smaller printed materials are likely part of your brand identity. So, you may be tempted to have your sign designer use the exact same font across the board. Unfortunately, this approach may not work.

For maximum visibility, outdoor ads need to be easy to read from a distance. This means that the text may need to be thicker and bolder than the font you have assigned as part of your branding. Not to worry, as your sign designer understands how to select a new font that delivers the same look and feel.

Best Fonts For Outdoor Advertising—Printed Signs

There are hundreds of fonts to choose from for outdoor sign design, and there is always the option of creating custom fonts. However, most signs are designed in standard block script fonts. Sometimes cursive and other stylized fonts can work, but the fonts that are the easiest for everyone to read are clean, crisp, and clear. The top options are:

Best Fonts For Outdoor Advertising—Digital Signs

Digital signs come standard with software that empowers you to create your own text-based signs. This includes the fonts mentioned above and many more. Since digital signs have bright LED lights and can be programmed with a variety of special effects, fonts that are difficult to read in print are easier to read on digital signage.

This is also true for the digital signs and ads that you upload to your software. As long as you have the proper contrast, size, and scale, which we discuss below, you can choose from a larger range of fonts. This understanding is one of the many reasons to work with a designer who specializes in digital outdoor sign design.

Creating Contrast With Color

Selecting your font isn’t the only factor that ensures your outdoor ad will be easy to read and visible from your desired distance. In addition to your font choice, you need to ensure you have adequate contrast between the text and the sign background. We discuss the importance of contrast in greater detail in this blog post, but a few popular color combinations are below. Feel free to view a digital rendering of your sign in a variety of color choices and fonts to ensure you like the look and feel.

• A white background with black, red, navy, or black text
• A black background with white, yellow, red, green, or blue text
• A red background with white or yellow text
• A navy background with white or yellow text
• A light blue background with black or red text

Size And Scale

Another factor to consider is the size and scale of the font. The smaller your outdoor sign, the larger the font can be. The larger your sign, the more you are limited to text size to ensure easy reading.

When choosing your font size, keep in mind that fonts have different “sizes”. You have likely noticed this when typing in a Word or Google doc. An Ariel font size 10 is a bit larger than a Calibri font size 10. This means that you must not set your heart on a specific font size, but prioritize testing to ensure readability.

Consider More Than One Font

Another factor to consider when choosing the best fonts for outdoor advertising, is that you can have more than one font per sign. For example:

• Your ad or sign may have a headline that is larger and bolder, and daintier text underneath.
• Consider writing your tagline or quote in an italicized or cursive font.
• If your logo is on your sign, you may choose a different font for the ad text.
• Digital signs often switch between a variety of ads and messages, each of which can have different fonts.
• You may choose a bolder font for motion graphics or 3 and 4D digital signs.
• Use a bold or stylized text for the advertising message, and a more generic text for essentials such as your campaign hashtag, address, phone number, or website URL.

Keep Text To A Minimum

In outdoor sign design, just because you have lots of room on your ad, doesn’t mean you need to use it all. Short and sweet messages and taglines work wonders, so keep your text to a minimum. Instead, focus on connecting and engaging with a standout statement. This is especially true for signs that people drive by and only have a second or two to read.

With digital ads, you may not need much text other than your logo or business name. Instead focus on a visually engaging image, video, or motion graphic—with standout HD imagery. Get really creative and consider printed signs of non-traditional shapes, with 3D features, texture, or mixed mediums. Even your printed signs can feature HD images to create more of an experience than a traditional ad.

Ready To Upgrade To A Digital Sign?

Now that you understand the best fonts for outdoor advertising and the key tips to ensuring your signs stand out, it’s time to order your new sign. While printed signs are effective, digital signs are the most versatile. They empower you to alternate a variety of ads, mix essential communication in-between, and pre-schedule ads and messaging. You can also utilize digital signs to post product photos, video tours, pricing, a cohesive series of ads, and more!

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of upgrading to digital in outdoor sign design, we invite you to reach out to Mega LED Technology today!