Effective graphic design is key to creating a memorable and impactful exhibition stand presence.
At trade shows, visitors decide whether to visit your stand within three seconds. With so little time to make an impression, your artwork must be impactful and stand out at a glance.
In this guide, we cover key details such as whether you should create your own artwork, the software required, recommended asset quality and file formats, and other important considerations.
The Importance of Effective Exhibition Stand Design
In a busy exhibition hall, your exhibition stand design can either be the key to standing out or the reason for getting lost among the crowds.
Keeping your stand simple but impactful will help you generate more traffic and conversations about your brand. Having buzzwords, strap lines, or short paragraphs (rather than walls of information) will encourage people to talk to your employees rather than stand and read or walk past a mountain of text.
Handling the Artwork In-House vs Externally?
Graphic design for an exhibition stand differs from that of other marketing materials. This is because stands are more than just flat resources or informational pamphlets; they are functional, 3D spaces that need to both attract and inform visitors on who you are and what you do!
The design for your exhibition stand can be handled either by your own designers and artworkers or by our very experienced and creative internal design and artwork team.
We always recommend working with an experienced professional who understands artwork templates and large-format printing, as they help you to create the best impact within the hall.
If you do handle your own design, it is extremely important to ensure you have the right experience, technology, and software to do so effectively, and the right exhibition stand contractor to support you with the process.
What Software or File Formats Should be Used for Artwork?
Exhibition stands require specific design software to handle the technicalities of the artwork templates and large-format printing. They cannot be designed using platforms such as Canva or Figma.
We use the industry standard Adobe Creative Cloud software that is required for everything print. This is essential to achieving the highest quality, easiest editability and most common file formats currently available.
We provide artwork templates in Adobe InDesign, so businesses must have access to Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign before opting to handle the design and artwork internally.
As we are printing on large-format printers, all artwork must be supplied in CMYK, using the “Coated Fogra39” colour profile (this is available in all Adobe Creative Cloud applications). If files are supplied in RGB or Pantone, they are converted by the program or the RIP, and there is no guarantee that they will match your brand or desired colours.
Required Asset Resolution
Imagery must be a minimum of 300dpi at 100% scale. Any low-resolution images (or images placed at over 130% scale within the InDesign file) may look either pixelated or very soft when printed at full size.
Most Common Exhibition Stand Artwork Mistakes
- Overloading the graphics with text – When businesses try to cram too many messages onto graphics, clarity is lost. Most visitors won’t hang around for large walls of text!
- Using low-resolution imagery – Low-quality images subconsciously lower the perceived quality and overall impact of the stand.
- Not considering the asset placement – Sometimes people underestimate the size of their stand. Because of this, assets are placed too low or too high, which affects the functionality and impact of the content.
Effective Exhibition Stand Design Examples
Recap
If you Handle your own Graphic Design
If you have the capacity, the tools and experience, and would like full control over your graphic design, here are some factors to consider:
- Tools – You must have access to Adobe Creative Cloud software, including Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
- Experience – You should be comfortable using the tools above, working to design templates and designing a 3D environment.
- Support –You should make sure that your exhibition stand contractor is willing to support you throughout the design process.
If Our Experienced, In-House Designers Handle Your Stand
If you opt for our in-house, experienced and creative graphic design and artwork team, you receive:
- Outstanding Designs – Designs that maximise your impact in the hall and memorability after the event.
- Technical Expertise – Understanding of technical details, large-format printing and artwork templates.
- Creative Lead – Our designers can either bring your brief to life or take creative lead with the design, depending on your requirements.
- Experts in reconfiguration – our designers not only design for impact in the hall, but also for maximum reuse and reconfiguration opportunities at future events.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, we have helped you to clarify whether your team is equipped to handle the exhibition stand design.
There’s a particular skill to being able to envisage and create real-life, functional spaces, from flat panels and templates. If you are not practised in this type of design, it can be quite challenging. By choosing to work with our in-house designer, you can save yourself time and stress. However, if you do wish to handle your own designs, our team is here to offer support with the technical details, ensuring you have the guidance you need along the way.
If you’re still feeling unsure about the graphic design, don’t be afraid to contact our team, who can help you better assess your options and suitability. Contact us design@quadrant2design.com or pop us a call +44 (0)1202 723 500.
