Banners Aussie-styleHow Do They Do It?

• Size & Shape• Poles• Ground Anchor• Design Graphics• Fabric• Pattern preparation• Tools

Shape• Rectangular – top

corner flop, bottom corner flick (children)

• Flat/rigid – message always readable but no pizzazz!

• Feather – smooth edge, waving and attractive

Size

• Too small = difficult to cut & sew

• Too large = weight / gravity issues, strain on the pole system

• Our optimum is now 5:87/1 height to width

• Banner weight 450gm

Poles

Bamboo• Temporary• Sharp edges (snags)• Single length (hard to

transport)• Cheap for some

PVC tube / plumbing• Cheap• Softens in summer• Bends unevenly,

looks drunk• Not conveniently

collapsible• Requires modified

sleeve top• Heavy, users

unhappy

Poles cont…

Fishing rod blanks

• Whippy tips

• Poke through sleeve tops

• Top section too weak for banner nylon

• Alternative = remove thinnest section

• Add vinyl tip to prevent poke through

Banner Poles

• Specific for banners• Use load-spreading tips, no

more poking through• Top section reinforced,

thicker, withstands strain• Often in a carry bag• Ideally with clip for bungee

Bungee

• Bungee acts as a shock absorber

• Pre-test for optimum length to fit pole being used

• NOT taut, NOT loose, slight tension

• Bungee clip prevents fly-away banners

Ground Anchor

• Wooden broomstick, sharpen one end, 1m long• Solid fibreglass ideal, 12mm diameter, 1m long• Insert no more than 20cm, leave 80% exposed• NEVER use metal – it erodes inside of pole

Maintain flex by inserting only 20cm

Design Graphics

• For own use, Microsoft ClipArt or own drawn

• With computer software, need Vector graphic to manipulate

• With photo or image can project onto wall, trace around.

Design Tips #1

• Keep designs away from uppermost trailing edge – area of high waving

• Be mindful of too many stitch holes near high-speed waving

• Avoid too many seams in near proximity to each other

• Keep each component as large as possible

Design Tips #2

• Bleed images over edges, or

• Crop or enlarge to avoid pea-on-a-drum effect

• Duplicate single image to create impression of fullness

Design Tips #3

• Add black outline on all lettering / art to show where stitch lines will be

• Too many lines causes sewing MAYHEM!

• Simplify as much as possible to create less mess

Design Tips #4

• Best effects are darker backgrounds• Lighter letters/images show in sunlight like a

neon sign

Design Tips #5

• Know hot colours vs. cool colours

• Select colours from opposites

• Cool colours hold vibrancy longer

• Similar colour shades offer a 3D look

• Dark backgrounds make good contrasts

Design Tips #6

Font styles• Simpler reads better• Waving fabric creates

mystique so make message readable

• Too many fonts confuse

• Think - newspapers overload

Design Tips #7

Never mix upper & lower case!!Leave correct spacing between words.

Horizontal layout is how we’re trained to read. Top to bottom is better on FIXED signage.

Design Tips #8

Zoom in & crop or focus on a definitive feature (e.g. dress frills)

Design Tips #9

Simplify drawings, remove excess lines, reduce colours to basic

Design Tips #10

Create designsfrom photographsor amend existing

drawings

Design Tips #11

Simplify!

Design Tips #12• Always check outlines by zooming in then reduce as many direction changes as possible

• What looks good in small scale could be a nightmare at full size

Fabrics

• Banner nylon, 200 denier, SolarMax UV-inhibitor coated to resist fading

• Cut darker colours first. Lift. Cut lighter colour then replace darker colour

• Hot dot, zig zag from reverse side. Easier to sew from lighter side

Finishing Off

• Top Cap is 1000D Cordura • Edging is 20mm edge binding

(awning tape, UV-stabilised).• Sleeving is banner nylon cut to

suitable width for widest part of pole

• Or, can be 1½ oz. ripstop cut to width & length

• Your choice: bungee threaded through a loop at base of sleeve, or length of cord for tying.

Pattern Preparation options

• Individual sheets A4 stuck to right size• Transparency, overhead projector onto full-size

paper pattern (B&W)• Opaque Projector / Epidiascope onto full-size

paper pattern (Colours)• Printshop, print out full size paper pattern ($$)• Wide format printer, print full size paper pattern• Laser cutting machine directly cuts fabric pieces

Tools