Is Technology Killing an Old Billboard Trend?

By: Selena McIntyre

These days everyone’s talking about how great technology is and how much more advanced billboards have become and continue to become. Billboard art used to be much more difficult to produce than it is today because it was hand drawn and hand painted on each and every billboard.

Not to long ago billboards were still painted, but now most of them have computer generated vinyls and posters on them. However, painted bulletins haven’t completely disappeared. We (BPS Outdoor Advertising) still use them and will continue to do so in the future (of course we like vinyls and posters and use all three methods of advertising.)

So why would a company want to be behind in technology by still using painted bulletins?

There are many reasons painted bulletins are still good, some of which have kept them around for so long. Here are some benefits of painted:

• Cost Efficient - They’re cheaper than computer generated vinyls. And, there’s no installation cost, just the cost to have a billboard painted.
• Faster than vinyls - If you don’t own a big vinyl printer (which most small to mid-size billboard companies don’t) than painted bulletins can be faster than waiting for a proof from a vinyl company and waiting for them to ship it to you.
• Easier to maintain - It is easier to make changes to a design with a painted billboard than a vinyl. The cost to change a vinyl is also more.
• Additional advertising option - Painted bulletins are an additional option that most companies no longer offer, or are trying to omit.
• Long Lasting - Painted Bulletins can last as long as regular vinyls.
• Quick - On average, it takes 7 days to produce a painted bulletin.
• Rain Resistant - Unlike posters, the rain will not damage painted signs.

Despite what some people may think, painted billboards are not limited to certain fonts, colors or graphics. They are only limited to what the sign painter can paint.

Billboard Painters

Of course good help is hard to find and finding a good sign painter is a very tough task since there are so few left. We at BPS are very lucky to have not one, but two talented painters working for us.

Our sign painters have surprised us many of times on the things that they can paint and continue to do so. For example, our painters have actually painted a trailer, animals, cartoon people, food, logos, large shoes, and much more.

How exactly are billboard painted?

Today painted bulletins are usually drawn on a computer and scaled out so it can be blown up with a transparency machine than drawn onto a pattern. The pattern is then hung over the billboard and the painting begins.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Of course this statement is true with all pictures, so I’m going to let these billboard pictures speak for themselves. Here are some examples of billboards we’ve painted.

Are painted bulletins dying a slow death?

Technology is improving everyday and will continue to do so. With all that’s been said and done, I can honestly say that we are one of the few billboard companies that are lucky enough to still paint billboards, use vinyls and posters.

Sadly, I do believe that technology is killing the long-time-billboard-trend of painted bulletins, maybe because the possibilities with computer generated ads are endless or maybe it’s because it’s too hard to find a good billboard painter.

Selena McIntyre has been a Creative Designer for BPS Outdoor Media since 1999. She has a Marketing Degree and several years of customer service experience. Selena has studied art most of her life and continues to do so now. She designs most of BPS’s billboards and has written several articles about the outdoor advertising industry. To see some of her work please visit http://www.bpsoutdoor.com/blog/ . Questions or comments? She’ll be glad to hear from you at nfo@bpsoutdoor.com