Election day is almost here, but that doesn’t mean Raleigh political candidates can sit back, relax, and rest on their laurels.
2020 has seen a tremendous increase in American citizens participating in the electoral process, you may see campaign signs everywhere.
The smart candidate is out there on the proverbial streets until the second the polls are closed. It’s not too late to create a few more political campaign signs—they just might give you the extra edge you need to beat your opponent.
At AlphaGraphics of Raleigh, we sat down with our in-house graphic designers and asked them for a few tips on how to design a compelling and persuasive political campaign sign. We want to share that information with you in this blog post.
Campaign Signs Warning
Before we get into design “best practices,” there are a few warnings that we’d like to share with you. One of the most common mistakes our graphic designers have seen with DIY political sign design is when candidates try to squeeze a tremendous amount of information onto a sign.
Pedestrians and drivers aren’t going to take the time to read a massive wall of text. The end result is an ineffective sign that should otherwise generate awareness. Therefore, it’s essential to pick one message and keep it simple. Otherwise, people will most likely wind up ignoring the sign.
Wrong color selection is another issue that we’ve seen crop up from time to time. When using more than one color on your sign, you need to make sure they’re complementary. Certain color combinations look “off” to the human eye or are very hard to read. Free services, such as Canva can help you select the right color combination for the best chances of success.
Select the Right Kind of Sign
A standard 18” by 24” yard sign works well when placed on the lawns of homes or nearby businesses. However, if you want to place in on or near a busy highway or street, there’s a good chance that it’s physically too small to be seen by cars traveling at high rates of speed.
In situations like that where visibility is limited, consider having a much bigger sign created and keep the smaller ones relegated to areas where slower moving traffic will have the time to digest the message.
Select the Right Color
In addition to making sure that your design uses complementary colors, you should also carefully consider the contrast. Many candidates will use the tried-and-true color combination of red, white, and blue. However, this can lead to contrast issues.
For example, if you have a solid blue background with red and white text, it will be challenging for people to read, no matter how close to the sign they are. Ideally, you should use white for the background and an alternating combination of blue and red for the text. This creates high contrast and will allow people to read it easier.
Select the Right Fonts
Fonts are especially important when designing a political campaign sign. Try not to use overly fancy fonts with lots of curves. It just makes it harder to read. Keep in mind that no matter what font you use, many people have eyesight and other conditions such as dyslexia. There are fonts out there that can help these people read text much easier.
The size of the font determines how far away someone can read it. For example, a 1” letter is visible from about 30 feet away when driving—50 feet when on foot. If you’re unsure as to whether or not the font you want to use will work, contact the expert designers at AlphaGraphics of Raleigh.
Select the Right Layout
Once you’ve settled on your desired font, size, and sign message, it’s now time to put it all together. The layout of your design should have roughly 60% negative space and 40% content. This helps prevent it from turning into a jumbled, indecipherable mess. Try to keep overly complicated designs to a bare minimum. Your political sign should instantly convey its intended message in a fraction of a second to anyone who glances at it.
Political Campaign Sign Design Help in Raleigh
The above tips and suggestions can help you design the perfect political sign that will have the maximum impact upon all those who view it. If you’re running into trouble when designing your own sign, or you’d like some help, contact us today.
At AlphaGraphics of Raleigh, we can help you design and create the perfect political sign for your campaign. To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh can help with your content graphic design and marketing needs, you may
email us,
request a quote, or call us at
(919) 832-2828.