Car shows are almost exclusively promoted by flyers. Any seasoned car show enthusiast knows they can expect at least one sheet of paper, if not more, on their drivers’ seat when they return to their ride at the end of a show. I’ve experienced upwards of a dozen flyers greeting me upon my return to my car. So, when the show you’ve worked so hard to organize is in competition with other events, some even on the same date, how can you make your show flyer stand out? Let’s play high school biology and dissect a common car show flyer!
The Flyer presented here was sent to me by one of the show organizers who wanted some feedback on the effectiveness of this flyer. The elements marked in green are what were done well and should be included in every show flyer. The items in red are what could be improved on for better visibility. We’ll start with the green.
TITLE:
You need a bold title. The more specific you can be the better. “Charity Car Show” isn’t going to cut the muster. If your event has heritage, point it out. This being the 13th annual Mustang Vs Camaro Showdown lets potential attendees know that this show has worked out its kinks and should run smoothly after a decade-plus. If you have a logo for you event, that’s even better. It’ll help your flyer stand out among the rest.
DETAILS OF THE EVENT:
The information about the location is clear, with street address for GPS users and defined registration and showtimes. This helps folks that might be doing multiple events in one day to know when they can come and go or if it’s worth staying thru the awards. They also layout the registration is a suggested donation of $5 and that there is participant voting. The charity is listed as are the various ways attendees can support it: 50/50 Raffle and Silent Auction. Whether or not it's necessary to include all of this information is up for debate. If you have a website or social media page for your event that you can drive traffic to for more info, do so. Your flyer is simply a tool to attract attention and interest.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
The contacts are noted with phone numbers. I would also suggest including email info or website info if that is available. However, with the details of the event, including “rain or shine” very well, explained, there shouldn’t be much of a need to contact the organizers.
Now for the items in red. Overall, the flyer is very wordy. Not a lot of visual appeal and potential attendees my overlook it because nothing really stands out.
BACKGROUND
It’s apparent from the plain background and use of clip art that this was laid out using Microsoft Word. Not very sophisticated or very eye-catching. There are ways to enhance this layout in Word with a border or photos “ghosted” in the background, set behind the text with reduced opacity.
USE OF CLIP ART
Clip art can be useful, but in this situation, it looks dated and not very dynamic.
USE IMAGES
The images of the Mustang and Camaro are obviously from the internet. This could be troublesome regarding copyright. The best practice is to only use pictures you have taken yourself or have permission to use from the photographer. The images also have a continuity issue in that one appears to be a photograph and the other a cartoon caricature.
LOGOS
The club logo for the Northeastern Ohio Camaro Club is out of proportion. Since they used the outline of the state of Ohio, it’s clearly not sized correctly.
TEXT ALIGNMENT
Every bit of text in this flyer is centered except for the lines “For more info call” & “The show is rain or shine.” Does this really matter? No, but as a sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it just drives me nuts. 😊
Now, I took the liberty of re-imagining this flyer as if Car Show Life were asked to do it from the beginning. Here is our result:
With the event is taking place at a slots casino, we made the overall design a slot machine. In the header we incorporated the club logos as well as photos of each club’s president’s car. As for the title, we utilized the logos for each car. That’ll catch the eye of enthusiasts of each model. In the background we’ve ghosted images of past Mustang/Camaro Showdowns to add a little extra vibrancy to the overall image.
So if you’d like a show flyer for your event that will stand out among the pile of handbills left in a driver’s seat, contact
info@carshowlife.net. We’ll create a flyer for your show in exchange for inclusion among your event sponsors.*
Bottom line, not every single little detail or sponsor needs to be included in your flyer. Your flyer is a tool to attract interest and attention to your show and your fundraising effort.
*Subject to the limited availability of car show life designers. Don’t delay, ask today.
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