Even if we’re not colourblind, most of us don’t have a professional’s “eye” for colour. It’s more than seeing the colours—it’s knowing what colours and shapes to combine for the highest-impact graphics possible. If you’re planning on designing your trade show banner yourself, there’s little room for mistakes—the banner will be big, bold, and right at eye level. A well-coordinated banner will stand out and draw people in, while a poor design won’t do your booth any favors. Here are a few tips when working with colour at trade shows.

Remember your audience. If you’re doing an international trade show, your colour situation could get complicated. That’s because different cultures associate different meanings for certain colours. For example, purple is the colour of royalty, right? Not in the Netherlands—for them, it’s orange. And black is a bit funereal—but not in China. There, white is the colour associated with funerals. Try to choose colours that don’t have a strong cultural symbolism for your audience, just to make sure you’re not communicating the wrong message..

Keep it legible. Did you know that purple is the hardest colour for the eye to process? Knowing that, it’s probably not a good idea to print your banner’s ad copy in purple. Yellow, however, is the easiest on the eyes—we tend to “notice” yellows before we notice other colours. This means that yellow is a bad background colour, because your eye will process it before noticing the copy you want to showcase—unless you tune it down to a very pale shade.

Contrast is key. The right contrast between dark and light colours not only makes your banner copy legible—it makes your image and message stand out. Make sure the colours you use aren’t in the same shade—dark greens and blues, for example. Be sure to contrast any darker colour with a lighter colour to make it stand out. This is especially important with text—the contrast between text and background colours should be easy on the eyes. If passers-by have to squint to read your banner, chances are they won’t put in the effort.

Keep colour psychology in mind. Different colours have different subliminal associations. colour psychology is often used by national brands in designing logos and company colours. For example, blue is often used to indicate reliability and strength. Black indicates power, and is often used for very formal, “corporate” companies as well as “hard” companies such as manufacturers, miners, and oil companies. Red indicates passion, creativity, and material pleasures; green is adventurous and outdoorsy; orange and yellow are youthful and exuberant; and brown indicates stability and safety.

Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Because so many companies pay attention to the connotations of the colours they use, businesses in the same industry often wind up using the same colours. Don’t fall into this trap—especially at the trade show. Instead, choose a colour scheme that’s likely to stand out.
For example, display your logo in colours on the opposite end of the colour wheel from those of your usual logo. Or choose colours that project an interesting alter-image on your company. For example, if you’re in an entertainment-based industry, the predominant colours might be reds and oranges. Choose black instead to show the power and strength of your company. You’ll definitely stand out.

Know where your audience will be. Is your banner stand intended to be seen from a long distance away? Or at eye level and fairly close? If you’re using a hanging banner stand or sign that you want people to notice from across the exhibition hall, you’ll need a lot of contrast. Go for big, splashy design and avoid small details. You can go a little subtler with banner stands placed at eye level, and include finer detail as well.

Don’t be afraid of white space. White space gives your banner a clean, roomy, organized feel. Don’t fall into the mistake of thinking that you have to fill every inch of your banner with some colour or design—you don’t. White space is very effective in providing contrast to rich colours, and makes the perfect background colour for text.

Don’t leave out your margins. Some banner designers stretch their text so that it fills the banner from side to side. Don’t do this—margins make your text more readable and make your banner look less cluttered. White space keeps the viewer’s eye focused on the text; filling up every inch of your banner only obscures the marketing message. Your banner stand can be a great asset to your trade show display. A striking colour scheme placed out in front of your display can help draw your customers to you—it works more effectively than you’d think. Avoid bad design, and your banner stand will keep the customers coming.