The History

of the

Billboard

By: Clare Szabo

In today’s society one of the most well known forms of advertising are billboards. Although many people recognize billboards as an effective medium of advertising, many do not know the history and evolution of the billboard. Billboards have had a great impact on the way we as a society receive information and become informed about new products. It is a real art form. It encompasses a variety of art forms, such as, photography, other types of images, and type, displayed in a manner to persuade viewers. Billboards are used to make the viewer either desire the actual product or to provide curiosity about a topic of interest. For example, there may be a product, such as a vacuum cleaner, that the viewer might decide they just have to have, or there may be a billboard that shows the campaign for breast cancer awareness, which makes the viewer want to learn more or get involved. It is this understanding of persuasion along with the history of billboards that was a driving force in graphic design industry.

The History of the Billboard

Graphic design became a huge part of advertising and poster design in today’s society because of the evolution of the billboard.

Freestanding billboards that are common today have not always been around.

popular. Although the posters were not able to be printed large scale, leasing space to place these posters have been around for a slightly longer period time.

circus. It incorporated the use of a large poster placed on the sides of horse

for advertisement. These large posters started with the invention of the Napier Cylinder press by Richard Hoe in New York. This allowed large posters to be printed on large paper sections and then assembled on large areas. The only constraints were the size of the structure in which the poster was placed. The circus was able to make posters larger than ever before. Soon movie theaters,

primary aim of these posters was to convey ideas in a fast and clear manner

The Associated Bill Posters Association of North America was formed in

producers of these large posters and advertisers. The reason for having this association was to “promote a greater understanding of the poster medium, and to provide an expanded nationwide organization for coordinating the services

leasing the sides of buildings and public wooden fences in 1867. Since the space

creative people. Eventually by the 1900’s there was a standardized structure that

technology was discovered. Steel was becoming one of the main resources used in manufacturing freestanding structures, in this case the structure for a billboard. This allowed billboards to become their own medium. Although these billboards were great for industries and businesses, it was not great for the designers that were famous for making small posters. There was a noticeable difference in the

In 1915, the National Outdoor Advertising Bureau was established. The reason for this bureau was to conduct the outdoor part of the advertising business with the advertising agencies and their clients. The bureau was a major

volunteered the outdoor advertising industry to the military and their services. In April 1916, artists, cartoonist, illustrators, poster industry leaders, and others met to discuses the art, design, and advertising strategies to help move industry in America. They also met to discuss making posters for World War I to show industries’ preparedness and to support the U.S. in war effort. Also, during this

shown at night with the use of light. This was great for advertisers and designers

War I and with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. World War I allowed

and witnessed how color, word, and image affected the persuasiveness of their messages. The best year for this medium of advertising was 1919. Billboards became a form of advertising that was not only used for products of manufacturing but also the “leisure industry,” including movies and tourist destinations. Another factor in bringing this form of advertising to greater expansion is the automobile industry. More and more people owned a car and the amount of people that were driving on highways grew by a substantial amount. Larger highways were constructed to accommodate for the greater number of drivers. This allowed billboards to advertise automobiles, gas, tires, and other various items needed to own an automobile. Another major product that was advertised was cigarettes. A great number of people smoked and many

reason for this increase was due to the fact that billboards were everywhere and was an easy and affective way to advertise, especially with the industry on the rise. Another major change during this period is that billboard artists started to use increasing amounts of humor, including cartoons. Although at this time people were experimenting more with different forms of advertizing, such as, realism and cartooning, other artists began using a more realistic style with photography.

there was a state of panic after the attack on Pearl Harbor many people canceled their advertisements. Many advertisements were centered upon the war effort. For example, the American Red Cross had a massive campaign during the war using these great outside posters. Another campaign that was well known at this time was the War Manpower campaign. The campaign targeted people that were

help the production of military items. Other campaigns centered upon saving

creative and focused more on the act of persuasion using art. Since television was becoming a major household appliance, billboards had to compete with a new form of advertising. Billboards also had to compete with color television. This

was witty and cleaver. This design with an image that was simple but interesting reinforced the concept to the viewer. Another form of design that evolved was that not all billboards were rectangle shaped. Many billboards were constructed with different shapes that exceeded the rectangle. For example, Coppertone

sun tan lotion had the famous little girl with the dog pulled out of the billboard. The billboard’s image was not only larger, but stood out to the viewer driving by. Another example of this was Kern’s peach preserves that had the jar tower over

This form of design continued in new ways throughout the 1980’s. The use of computers and technology changed the design of the billboard. Political advertising contributed to the change in design also. For example, many people were concerned about conservation and health in society. Many advertisements on billboards began to persuade people to care more about the environment and for the well being of people. For example, Gatorade became one of the major contributors to these forms of advertisements. There were advertisements for helping battered women and to stop drunk driving. These advertisements used the 1960’s, included a form of design where a line or two of type was used with a very intense image. For example, one of the advertisements for battered women used a photo of a woman’s body in a body bag; another image of the effects of drunk driving had an actual crunched car on the billboard itself. Advertisements that dealt with conservation use similar tactics to get their point across. For

been burned through so that the viewer could see the inner workings of the billboard. Although conservation and health awareness was prominent during this time, there were other advertisements that are still well known to this day, such

In today’s society much has changed with the design of billboards. The evolution of technology and resources, including computers and higher quality printers, has contributed to these changes. With these computer advances many designers have many more opportunities and almost limitless design ability. There are also many more electronic billboards in today’s society, which allows the ability for more than one advertisement to be shown on a single billboard. There is also the form of billboards that are on trucks that change advertisements by electronic means. Although the basic design is still present in today’s billboards, the simple slogan with an image is still used often. The changes in billboard design will continue and are driven by the need to convey information effectively and

Fraser, James Howard. The American Billboard: 100 Years. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991. Print.

“Volume 5.” How Products Are Made. Randy Schueller. Web. 06

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