Advertising Outdoors: Watch This Space!

Outdoor advertising is one of the oldest and purest forms of communication. From the earliest painted Roman walls to the latest video walls and laser projections in Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, commercial signs have always been ubiquitous. Advertising Outdoors analyzes this dynamic, exciting exterior medium that has until now remained largely undocumented. It looks at the art and ingenuity of art directors and copywriters who devise the artwork and ideas, and explores how their creative input drives an industry that supplies large-scale frames: billboards, transit shelters, bus sides, train cards, phone boxes, taxis, airships and many other location opportunities.

Outdoor advertising is the toughest advertising medium, offering the ultimate exposure. 'Solve the creative brief on a poster and the solution will work anywhere,' say advertising gurus. Whether today's creators are designing for a roundabout supersite, a Los Angeles spectacular or a highway strip, they are all working within the same limits. Unlike newspaper and TV advetising, there are no accompanying props -- the city itself is the context. As Abram Games concluded, advertising outdoors demands 'maximum meaning, minimum means.'

An essential book for designers and advertising professionals alike, Advertising Outdoors looks at the rise of 'commercial art,' the development of advertising as a discipline and an industry, and the role that advertising plays in modern life, making direct reference to examples of successful advertising campaigns. Specific chapters feature such diverse subjects as the 'rules' of the poster and the demands of outdoors; the development of a brand identity; the relationship of text and image; the case for wit and humor; and the future of the poster in multi-media campaigns.