4 Design Tips For Your Trade Show Exhibit

The heart of any trade show presence is the exhibit, usually designed by an experienced trade show company. The exhibit is the space on a trade show floor that defines a company. It is the corporate and identity space that conveys the vision and tone of a business, and it is where education about that product or service can take place, leading to more business.

Here are some things you should be thinking about if you’re in the process of designing your exhibit for a trade show.

Keep Messaging Brief

There is a time and place for detailed explanations, and that is in the corporate literature itself, like a brochure or the staff directly answering questions of attendees. In the exhibit space itself, the messaging should never be a wall of text, and it should always be comfortably positioned for readers, at least 3-4 feet off the ground, so no one needs to hunt for it.

Maintain Branding Consistency

Corporate identity is all about consistency. Create one logo and stick with it. Create one color scheme and adhere to it religiously. Don’t create different symbols, logos, and color schemes and display them all over the exhibit space; this is a conflict in good design and can confuse the people who visit the booth. Maintain a single, unified theme, look, and concept.

Negative Space Isn’t Bad

One mistake some people make when creating an exhibit is to be afraid of empty space. It can be just as bad to try to fill every space with something, as can be seen in the extreme with people who have hoarding tendencies. Empty or “negative space” can be an effective design element, even in a real-world space like an exhibit. Keeping about 40% of an exhibit space empty prevents a sense of claustrophobia from creeping in.

Take Advantage Of Focal Points

The size of your exhibit will determine the natural layout of focal points where the eye will roam. For smaller exhibit spaces, this is usually the back. However, much larger areas can have multiple focal points depending on how the designers have played with the space to control the flow of the eye. If you and your team are aware of the focal points, you can put the most important assets of your exhibit in these areas.

If you’re thinking of taking part in a trade show and want to plan your exhibit, we can help. Contact Lighthouse Exhibits, and we can assist you with designing and constructing your trade show exhibit.