SermonView Newsletter: April 2008

VISUAL PREACHING

Myth Busters: The Truth about Church Communication #11
Myth #11: The design of a banner is not as important as the text.

The Truth: Banners are visual marketing tools. The design you utilize will help someone decide whether or not they should read the message you’re trying to convey.

The Facts: As you drive down the streets of almost any suburban town, you will see a plethora of white banners with colored text on the sides of church buildings and in church lawns. It’s more rare, however, to see these types of banners in front of successful businesses in the community. The reason: it’s simply ineffective communication. The problem is that it’s hard to tell who should be reading the banner. You have only seconds to catch the attention of passing cars and pedestrians, and in most cases a white banner just doesn’t do the trick.

The Solution: The white vinyl lettered banner is a throwback to a time when full-color printing was substantially more expensive. But that is no longer the case. These days there are a range of cost-effective ways to produce large-format banners in a wide-variety of shapes and sizes. Adding appropriate design elements will substantially increase the effectiveness of your message.

Here are some key tips for creating effective banners.

Grab attention with an image. People respond to visuals instantly. This will give you an opportunity to get the attention of your intended audience with an image that portrays some aspect of what you are trying to communicate. Don’t assume people will read it just because it’s big.

Think color. When deciding on the design of your banner make sure to use colors that are eye-catching and offer some integration into your local environment and your theme. Although hot pink will certainly catch the attention of drivers, it doesn’t help persuade them to come to your men’s retreat. Make sure your design is consistent with your concept, and the style of your church.

Less text equals more comprehension. There are plenty of times where more information is a good thing. But an informative banner is not one of those times. Informational banners should contain text exclusively in three categories: title, pitch, and action. The title is simply the name of the upcoming series or event. The pitch is a single sentence that invites or intrigues a person to attend your event. The action is the next step a person needs to take, or information about the event time and location. For example if you are putting on a series about the life of Jesus you could use the following text:

A Walk with Jesus
Isn’t it time you heard the true story?
A new series starting June 25th at Prairie Community Church.

Don’t let old school thinking minimize the effectiveness of your communication resources. Banners are an important communication tool, and using appropriate design elements with your text will increase your communication effectiveness.

How do you use banners at your church? We would love to hear your feedback. Just email us at info@sermonview.com.


		April 2008
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