Exhibition graphic design

Three distances, three jobs

Think about the journey to your stand. From ten metres away, a visitor should catch your name and what you do. At three metres, a short headline or image should earn a pause. Only at arm's length should detail appear, such as product points or case studies. Most weak stands fail by putting the arm's-length content on the highest panels. Sketch the stand, mark what can be read at each distance, and remove anything that does not serve one of these three jobs.

Starting from the structure

The artwork must follow the hardware, not the other way round. A modular display has seams, a pop-up has curved ends, and a shell stand has poles, so each needs a template before design begins. Screens, shelves and counters will also cover parts of the wall. Place those on the plan first, so your key image is not hidden behind a monitor. Corners deserve attention too, since two walls meeting will distort any text that crosses them.

From an agreed visual to files we can print

A good-looking visual is only part of the work. Before production, each panel needs its own file, with bleed, the correct colour setup and images checked at final size. Details to agree when you brief us:

• Brand guidelines and logo files
• Stand plan with panel sizes
• Key messages, in order of priority
• Your photos, or a budget for stock images

Our artwork guide covers setup if your own designer is preparing files.