Submitting an Ad
In order for your ad to be displayed, it must be sponsored by a UA organization, department, or college. The ad must also adhere to The University of Alabama graphic standards provided by the Office of Strategic Communications.
- The ad should be a 16:9 ratio (1920 x 1080 pixels).
- Your file must be a png or jpg image. The file should be no larger than 5MB.
- The design should have a background. If the design has a transparent background, it will appear black.
- The ad resolution should be 72 px/inch.
- Due to the high number of ads received from various departments, your ad is more likely to be posted if you submit only one design. We recommend submitting one ad per department per week. If you have multiple upcoming events, consider combining them into one ad.
Ad Design – Five Tips for Better Ads
Keep it simple!
Messages can quickly become clunky or unwelcome. When in doubt, ask yourself – what message does my audience need to receive from this ad?
Keep it short.
Remember that your ad will only be displayed for 8 to 12 seconds.
Use attention-grabbing headlines and graphics.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Give basic details and direct viewers elsewhere for lengthy info.
Providing a URL to your website where more information is available is a good idea.
Contrast is key!
Be sure font color and size are readable from a distance.
Example of clear, simple digital signage graphic.
Non-Graphic Designers – Use PowerPoint
If you are not comfortable with graphic design, you may create your ad using PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a great tool to quickly add text and images to create a suitable digital ad.
- Set the Page Size, 16:9 (widescreen).
- PC users: Change the size under the Design menu (Design>Page Setup).
- Mac users: Change the size under the File menu (File>Page Setup).
- Insert or type your content (including text and images) to a single slide and arrange it so that it is clearly readable.
- Contrast – be sure the font color doesn’t blend into the background.
- Text – limit text so that the main point of the message can be seen within 8-12 seconds.
- Images – images draw attention more than text.
- Save. When you are satisfied with the design, save the file as a PNG (image), not PowerPoint.
- PC users: To save as a PNG, go to File> Save As> Save as type, then choose PNG from the drop-down list.
- Mac users: To save as a PNG, go to File>Export>File Format, then choose PNG from the drop-down list.
The instructions above may vary slightly depending on your version of PowerPoint.