The first rule is not to overcrowd the bulletin board. If you have too much text, too many notices, or too many different colors it can overwhelm the viewer and they either won’t stop and read anything or they’ll not get as much information as they could get out of your message board.

The second rule is to put it in a well-traveled area that makes it an easy place to pause and read. Don’t you hate it when people stop in the middle of the doorway as you are trying to enter or exit? To avoid this blockage in your own establishment or outside of it don’t place the board in a doorway but still place it in a well-trafficked area.

The third rule is to keep your fonts large and easy to read. Those people passing by won’t stop for long to read small or difficult text. They will get much more information from large, simple text.

However, there’s so much more that you can do with your outdoor bulletin board. Yes the boards from Outdoor Message Center come with several great features like shatter resistant acrylic doors and piano hinges for easy access, but you can get many more additions to your set.

For example, if you are a church you have probably seen other places of worship using letter board backgrounds on their outdoor bulletin boards. These letter boards have grooves on them so that you can place one and a half inch letters on it for ease of reading. This makes viewing the sign from a distance easy! The backing on these boards is generally black but you can get custom colors made for you if you wish.

Another good addition to consider is putting printed lettering on the top of your bulletin board. This makes it simple to know what the board is for. You can add the name of your homeowner’s association, your church, or even your website for people to view with ease.

For schools, message boards are a perfect way to announce when their team’s next home basketball or football game is going to take place.  It can also be used to announce upcoming holidays, days off, important school functions, or just a special message telling kids to have a safe and fun summer vacation.

Message boards can also be used by local businesses to advertise what they have to offer.  It is kind of hard for local mom and pop stores to get their name out there beyond the immediate vicinity so message boards are an excellent way to grab the attentions of people who will then spread their services or products via word of mouth.

These reasons alone make message boards valuable.

Clean your glass with a good glass cleaner, being sure not to leave any streaks behind. Make sure you’ve got all the right materials, whether it’s letters to put up to create sentences or thumb tacks to put up fliers and the like.  Clean out any and all dirt from the frame and inside the board as well.

If it needs replacing, now is the time to do it. Get your new message board so it’ll be set up by the time the warm weather comes around and you get more people headed your way. It’s never too early to get prepared!

First of all, make sure you use large print to ensure that passersby, whether they be in cars or on foot, will be able to easily read what is on the notice. Big type font in a bold color will make sure that all of the information is legible.

Secondly, don’t overcrowd your poster or make it too “busy looking.” If your poster is visually too crowded no one will take a second look at it. They also won’t get all the pertinent information. Avoid busy patterns, too many colors, and too many fonts. The limit to number of fonts on a page is generally two if you want it to be read easily. Colors can vary but the generally accepted rule is around three-to-four colors per notice.

If you’re advertising an event, an opening, a dance, or a party, having a well designed and executed poster on an outdoor message board could be the best way to get the word out.

Even if you’re not a business that sells merchandise, you still need to advertise. If you’re a member of the homeowner’s association, wouldn’t it be nice for people to see your outdoor display boards and be able to immediately find your website address? What about if you’re a campground with a website that shows vacancies? Shouldn’t your potential consumers be able to easily find that as well? This is why outdoormessagecenter.com offers website or other lettering printed on their outdoor bulletin boards. You can choose to place this text at the top or at the bottom but either way, it’s easy to find, easy to see, and still a clean and crisp look. Isn’t clean and crisp one of the best types of advertising? People will be able to see it immediately and even if they’re merely driving by or passing through, the text will be easily readable. This will mean more people will be able to find your website or know the name of your campground.

Obviously, none of us live in Camelot. It’s a mythical place and no king, president, or ruler can dictate the weather. Everyone must deal with things like rain, snow, and yes, heavy duty weather. This is why you should make sure that your outdoor message board can hold up to the real world weather.

All outdoor display boards come with shatter resistant acrylic covers that keep your display looking as pristine as the Camelot castle lawn and a weather resistant backing for when the hard, cold rain falls and the wind blows. The frame is also made of a hard coated aluminum frame that won’t bend or distress in heavy weather.

No, not all of us can live in a place like Camelot where the weather is good all year, but we can certainly pretend we do every time we see the clean undisturbed outdoor message boards standing tall in the snow!

The first open air museum was established in 1881 in Norway. It was never completed because the King lost interest after the expenses became too great. However, the idea caught on and spread across the globe. Generally speaking these older open air museums did not have outdoor message boards to direct or inform visitors.

As the medium became more and more popular, especially in Scandinavian countries an the United States, outdoor display boards became an integral part of the experience. They were able to focus attention to certain aspects of the exhibits, inform guests and visitors of important historical information, and they were able to function as tour guides.

Thirty eight states have open air museums, this does not include things like living museums or renaissance fairs. Permanent open air museums are cropping up in every corner of the globe.

How many times have you found an article of clothing at the back of the closet and been surprised you could have lost it for so long? How often do you forget important meeting dates or other events because you were not constantly reminded of them? For me, these things have happened many, many times.

This is why advertising for companies is so important. Ad campaigns are run to keep products fresh in the minds of consumers. The same can be done for small societies and clubs and even housing complexes.

One way to avoid the inevitable forgetfulness of people is through keeping information ever-present on an outdoor bulletin board. Never again will the president of a society miss a meeting because he forgot. Never again will you forget which day you can’t park in the street. With outdoor display boards, that old adage may still be true but at least it won’t apply to you.

What was also important when we arrived at the park or wooded area we were camping in was to follow closely the directions and rules posted all over the place on outdoor bulletin boards. You see while during the summer following these rules was important, you could often rely on bumping into another camping group or park ranger to help guide you. During the colder months you could not quite guarantee the same sort of attentiveness or even the presence of other people in the area.

I am so glad that my days as a scout made me particularly attentive to information on outdoor message boards. As I’ve grown up my attention to these details has had me making great strides towards finding my own way in various situations. Following details and knowing to read everything that is presented to you can really make you more aware of your surroundings and better equipped to deal with situations.