Design Evaluation

Design in Campaign:

I love animated movies and I drove down to California this weekend. So, being exposed to a large amount of billboards might have played a role in this post.

I decided to take a look at some advertising for animated films. Specifically, the ones on billboards. You only get to see these for a moment if you are driving past, maybe 10 seconds. So the ads have to be good and catch your attention.

If you are a child who can't read the billboard, there has to be some imagery to get your attention, and make you want to ask your parents to take you to see that movie. This is what I found.

The Bad:

This isn't engaging, just large font. I know what it is, but will a child understand? It also doesn't show any hint as to what the film is about. It only gets creative with Megamind's head coming out of the top of the billboard, and that isn't much. Despite these plain billboards, the film did very well.

At least this one is trying to get the story behind the film in the ad. It shows the characters, some action, and it engages you a bit more, but I think they can do better. Take a look at the other "Lego Movie" ad below.

Again, large font, but what does it mean? I see some aliens peaking up around the edge of the frame, and alien ship over the top and I see what looks like Earth, but I'm not sure. Would a child understand this?

This ad is almost a mix of the "Megamind" style and the "Mars Needs Moms" one. The name is big and bold at the center. A few faces are peaking out of the snow around the bottom, and Olaf is centered. While not the main character of the film, I'm sure this is an attempt to appeal to the child that sees this ad and knows the character from the commercials in the theaters. He is also breaking through the edge, like Megamind. 

The Good:

This is simple. It uses bright orange to grab the viewers attention and a third dimension which isn't the easiest thing to do with a billboard. For a child, it will either scare them or make them laugh. Right away, they know its for them. The words are small and off to the side, making the face of the Lorax draw your attention. 

This one is good to talk about juxtaposed with the other "Lego Movie" billboard. The first example had a flat image and didn't break out of the edges of the frame. This version on the other hand appears to explode not only from all sides, but also out towards the viewer. It looks like the lego characters are about to fly off the billboard and right at you with a little depth of field and motion blur. This one definitely grabs a child's attention, and maybe even, their imagination, which is what lego is all about.

I know this isn't much of an example, but I like how they used the billboard in a way that looked like it was tampered with by the characters of the film. If anyone has seen "Monsters Inc.", and most children have, then I would think that they know Mike and Sulley. It uses the edge as a barrier for Sulley to hide behind, and Mike almost looks like a three dimensional solid taped to the billboard. Also, the simple letters, M and U are easy for a child to read. Giving them a reward when they understand the meaning, ingenious.

For this one, I think they were just going for a laugh. But the use of the edges and the shading to make the feathers look as if they are not part of the billboard, but floating in front of it. This is a great way to make it stand out. Again the small letters don't clog up the image, so young viewers get the idea. Even the glasses look like they are popping off the billboard.

Closing:

I feel like I can judge the designs as good or not, but from a child's perspective, I'm only guessing at what works on that level. I'd like to share a video with some creative uses of the space on and around the billboards that I stumbled across in my research for this topic. Enjoy.