Detroit Commuters See the Road Differently
Detroit's commuter flow does not look like other cities. Your billboard design has to work for stop and go traffic on I-75 through downtown, faster moving traffic on the Davison Freeway, and mixed conditions along Woodward Avenue and Grand River Avenue.
Drivers coming in from Troy, Sterling Heights, and Dearborn see different conditions than someone driving city streets in Midtown or Corktown, and a design strategy should account for both.
You Have About Three Seconds
Whether your board sits along the Lodge Freeway or on Jefferson Avenue near the riverfront, you have roughly three seconds to make an impression. That means:
- Six words or fewer for the headline
- Bold, contrasting colors that stand out against an industrial backdrop
- One focal point, not several competing ideas
- Sans serif type, which reads better at highway speed
Designing for Detroit's Weather
Detroit weather creates real visibility challenges. Your board needs to perform through:
- Winter snow glare, where a pale background tends to disappear
- Summer sun, where high contrast prevents washout during bright afternoons
- Rush hour sight lines, especially near elevated approaches close to the river
Boards along I-94 near the airport see different lighting than those tucked between tall buildings downtown, so it is worth checking a design against the actual site before finalizing it.
Design Changes by Location
Highway boards along I-75, I-96, and I-94 should prioritize readability from a distance, with large type and minimal copy, since drivers move fast and need to grasp the message instantly.
Surface street locations along Woodward, Michigan Avenue, and Gratiot allow for a bit more detail, since traffic moves slower. These spots tend to work well for local businesses targeting a neighborhood audience.
Downtown corridors near Campus Martius should account for both drivers and pedestrians, since the audience there is genuinely mixed.
Color Choices That Fit Motor City
Detroit's automotive history shapes how color reads here. Bold reds and deep blues tend to stand out, and yellow and orange create urgency against the city's brick architecture and industrial backdrop.
Avoid colors that blend into the surroundings. Grays and muted tones that match building facades tend to get lost rather than noticed.
Typography for Real Viewing Conditions
Choose type that stays legible whether it is viewed from a high floor downtown or from street level in Eastern Market. Bold sans serif fonts work best for headlines. Script fonts tend to disappear at highway speed along faster routes like the Southfield Freeway.
Size your text for the worst case viewing condition you expect, whether that is slow moving traffic downtown or drivers passing at full highway speed elsewhere in the metro.
Test Before You Commit
Before finalizing a design, check readability by viewing it on a phone screen from across a room. If it is not clear in three seconds there, it will not work on the road either.
Think through how your design reads across Detroit's range of settings, from glass towers downtown to residential streets in Indian Village to commercial strips along Eight Mile Road.
To talk through placement options that fit your design and see what's currently available, call for a free quote.