Say the most with the least
February 15, 2011 | Posted by Jim Gott
When starting a new campaign or looking for a way to get your message out, billboards are a great place to start. Why? Because they force you to keep things simple. They force you to strip away as many elements as possible until you have the real essence of the message. Tony Cox, a British writer, once said, "Inside every fat ad, there's a thinner and better one trying to get out."
This billboard campaign for Chipotle Mexican Grill promotes their dedication to only the best, locally-sourced ingredients for their burritos. It's not really fair to use these billboards as an everyday example because they're so good. What makes them so good?
They use very few words. There's a good chance this message will be seen primarily by people driving cars. It's tough to compete for their attention especially if they're texting, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, eating an apple, daydreaming, etc. You want people to absorb the message as soon as possible so they can get on with their lives. At most, one or two seconds is all the time you really have to get the message across.
They're easy to read. The high contrast between text, logo and background makes the billboards very easy to read. Some might call this boring, but in today's cluttered world these billboards actually stand out. One font, one point size. A simple, well-designed logo and a minimal color palette. These billboards use only a few elements. Each element you add takes away from the importance of the elements. Don't take the "less is more" concept for granted.
They're engaging. The simplicity of these billboards make them engaging by default. You can't help but notice and read them. Even if you hate burritos, you are now aware that Chipotle Mexican Grill makes the best. What makes this particular campaign so effective is that there are two levels of information. Those who give the billboards only a passing glance will get the basic message, and those who are stuck in traffic can gain even further information.
Most importantly, this campaign is based on a very strong concept and the company is willing to take a chance. Chipotle is not just a place to eat, it's an attitude. Make sure you have a solid concept and a well-designed visual identity, or creating work like this will be very challenging.
