Types of Banners
There are a number of different banner styles, named for their uses.
Advertising Banners and Flags
The purpose of an advertising banner or flag is to announce the physical location of your company or organization. As outside banners they are designed to withstand the elements and can be installed with either a standard top-down style pole, or a top-and-bottom pole installation. Advertising banners and flags are a great way to get noticed. A well-designed advertising banner helps your company stand out by becoming a physical landmark and a visual cue for travelers. It's wonderful to tell people who are traveling to your company, "Look for our banner!"
View our gallery of Outdoor Advertising Banners.
Table Banners and Drapes
Used at indoor events, a table banner is used dress up a table, and announce your organization's presence. This style of banner comes in a wide variety of shapes. Sometimes only the front surface of the table will be covered. Other times the top and back can be covered, or the entire table can be decorated. The 'live area' of a table is the bottom 30 inches. Because your table banner is likely to travel and may be used on various sizes of tables, 30 inches is the ideal height. You may find a table that is greater than 30 inches in height, but a table that is less than 30 inches would be too low for you to get your legs underneath. By planning on using the bottom 30 inches as your image area, you prevent your table banner from dragging on the floor.
Parade Banners and Flags
Like table banners, parade banners are usually 30 inches in height, but can have a variable width. At a height of 30 inches, a parade banner will be comfortable enough to be carried by people of varying heights without anyone having to strain. Typically parade banners are finished with a pole sleeve at the top of the banner and a pole is passed through the sleeve. Members of your organization hold the pole and keep the banner open.
Podium Banners
Attached to the front of podium or lectern, a podium banner is usually small enough to fit on any size lectern, and typically has a velcro strip along the top, to attach it to the podium.If you need a podium banner for an event, it's always a wise idea to speak to the owner of the venue and found out the dimensions of the podium that will be used, so your podium banner can be sized appropriately.
Step-and-Repeat Banners
A specialized banner used at events, the step-and-repeat banner is used as a backdrop for photographers. The logo or logos of the event sponsors are repeated across the face of the banner, 'stepping' up and down, in a pattern. In this way, no matter how a celebrity, guest or speaker might pose, the logo of the sponsor(s) is always visible in the photograph. These banners are usually fairly large so that the top of the banner will not be seen in the photo. Also, the banner material used is often preferably matte (non-glossy) so that there will be less glare in the photos.
Continue to 'Making Banners'