Property developer hoardings

Designing to the panel grid

A hoarding is not one long canvas. It is a series of boards with joints, posts, gates and changes in level. Get a site elevation with panel widths before finalising artwork, then arrange faces, logos and headlines so that no joint cuts through them. Gates need particular care, because a design split by an opening gate may look broken for much of the working day. Our hoarding graphics page explains printed panels compared with applied vinyl and how each behaves on timber.

CGIs, lifestyle shots and resolution

Architectural visualisers often render for brochures, and a file that looks crisp on A4 can fall apart at hoarding width. Ask them early for a version rendered for large format, and share the panel sizes. Viewing distance matters: pedestrians walk within a metre or two, so text and faces need more detail than a billboard viewed from across a road. The artwork guide covers file setup. Keep messaging simple: scheme name, a selling line, a website and the marketing suite location.

Planning for phases, damage and consent

A hoarding may outlast several sales stages. Treat prices, "Launching soon" and completion dates as replaceable sections, so that only those panels change when the message does. Keep spare panels of busy stretches, because graffiti and vehicle strikes happen, and ask us whether an anti-graffiti finish suits your location. Advertising on hoardings may need consent from the local planning authority, and highway licences can also be involved. Your planning consultant or contractor should confirm this before the design is signed off.

Related topics

• Shop refit hoardings
• Construction site signs