The Importance Of Graphics In Your Exhibition Stand Set-Up

By nature, trade shows are an extremely competitive environment. When exhibiting at an event, it is vital you take steps to ensure your set-up stands apart from everybody else. One way of doing this is by using high quality graphics.

As a key way to make sure you stand out from the crowd, high impact graphics will encourage attendees to visit your stand and engage people with your brand, enticing them to discover more about the products or services you’re offering.

Whilst this can be one of the more costly elements of your stand, if your printed graphics are both well-designed and well-placed, it is definitely worth the investment. 

However, there are certain rules to be followed when it comes to graphic design – any errors can have a huge impact, making your business appear unprofessional and messy. To help you avoid any embarrassments, we’ve compiled the following list of “do’s and don’ts” for exhibition stand graphic design work.

Make sure you…

• …emphasise your brand identity. By using bold colours, your logo and typeface, you will differentiate yourself, helping attendees to distinguish your brand from other businesses at the event
• …use the full extent of the wall space with large format graphics, packing a punch and achieving a smooth, seamless finish
• …adopt a clean and simple style with the “Less is more” approach. Why not go for something concise such as your logo and strapline, use your brand’s colour palette for key messages and use large, eye-catching imagery to draw attention to your stand?
• …choose the placement of your graphics carefully. Logos should be placed as high as possible to achieve maximum visibility from across the hall. Try putting yourself in the attendees’ shoes and always think about how they will move around the hall. Which part of your stand will really catch their eye? And don’t forget about the space above your stand – you can make the most of this area with rigged gantry/tension structures and banners 
• …include event specific messaging in some of your graphics alongside more generic brand/logo imagery which can be re-used at other events
• …always check artwork proofs. And check again. It’s much easier to edit artwork on a computer than it is to reprint. Remember, any typing errors or bad photoshop editing will be much more visible when printed at full size to cover a 4m high wall
• …ask your account manager what the artwork deadline will be for each show – always allow yourself enough time to get it right

Make sure you don’t…

• …use small text – it’s highly unlikely to be seen and visitors will simply lose interest if there’s too much for them to read at a glance. Exhibition graphics should be high impact to draw the attention of people walking around the show. Don’t forget, you can always provide more detailed information with accompanying imagery and diagrams in handouts, such as flyers or leaflets. Alternatively, to keep things simplified, try sending this information via email or allowing attendees to view it on a handheld device, such as an iPad
• …use low quality images. Large, bold images work really well on exhibition graphics but they must be high quality so they can be scaled up to fill large areas of wall space. Low quality images will become very pixelated and won’t achieve the desired effect

Types of graphics

Foamex graphics can be joined together to create a seamless effect and can be reused or replaced for another event if they are cleverly designed. They work perfectly when adhered onto loop nylon Velcro-friendly panels or framed in a lightweight modular system.

Fabric graphics really do give a seamless finish and, at RDW Exhibitions, we have the capability to print up to 5m wide – so even graphics for stands at 4m high can be printed in one piece.

How we can help

Covering all aspects of exhibition stand solutions, our in-house design team can… 

• Manage the entire design and production process on your behalf
• Provide stunning graphics and supporting event graphics (such as handouts, brochures, social media assets etc)
• Use your company’s brand guidelines to fully understand your brand identity
• Liaise with organisers on your behalf to obtain prior permission for any of the finer details, such as using the space above your allocated spot to ensure your stand is highly visible
• Check imagery for you before creating any artwork for your stand
• Print graphics on a variety of substrates to suit your requirements, depending on the type of exhibition stand you are looking to hire or purchase
• Store graphics for you so they can be reused at future events, allowing you to get the most out of using our professional design services

And for those after a more portable option to use in shell schemes, reception areas or smaller marketing events, we can also create artwork and print graphics for pop-ups and banner stands.

As part of a co-ordinated design approach, our in-house team works together with you throughout the design process to produce stunning graphics that truly convey your brand’s personality.

Contact us today to discuss your next event.