How to Create Show-Stopping
Tradeshow Graphic Design

The adage, "less is more," truly resonates when creating your tradeshow graphic design. Resisting the urge to put too many words on display panels and refraining from using a bevy of intricate visuals will serve you well in the exhibition hall.

Stunning design and simplicity are the keys to creating high-impact trade show exhibits that people want to visit, according to display expert Lowell Nickens, president of ShopforDisplays.com.

The method by which you develop your graphic design should be similar to the strategy used for creating memorable highway billboards.

Outdoor advertisers deploy a carefully executed strategy to communicate a single sales message in a matter of seconds, as vehicles zoom by at speeds in excess of 55 miles per hour.

Like billboards, you only have a few seconds to capture the attention of show attendees who are cruising by your booth. Delivering a convincing, meaningful message to potential customers with your graphic design requires you to keep your message short and direct… and your graphics simple and strong.

Thomas E. Fitzgerald, CME, past president of Trade Show Exhibitors Association (when it was IEA) and a retired corporate exhibit manager, detailed in an article he wrote for Exhibit Builder Magazine a show-stopping formula for effective tradeshow booth design.

After extensive research and examining best demonstrated practices in the industry, he came up with three simple questions that people might ask when walking past your booth.

If your booth design, graphics and verbiage answer these questions, you have the greatest opportunity to have an effective and competitive exhibit display.

Who Are You?
That question should be quickly and easily answered from the header or the top graphic in the booth where you promote your corporate identity.

What Are You Selling?
In other words, what product or service does your company have to show at this conference?

Why Would I Want to Buy It?
Prospects are going to ask themselves, “What's in it for me?” Does your product have a feature or benefit that is superior to others in the market? It is better, faster, cheaper or the next industry standard?

When you develop your exhibit design to address these questions (and only these questions), and use striking, yet simple graphics to tell your story, the outcome will be a standout exhibit that delivers results.