How to Design an A-Board That Increases Footfall
Posted on by Matt Roscoe
Key Takeaways:
Clear messaging is the foundation of an effective A-board. Focus on one objective and one strong offer so passers-by can understand the message quickly.
Readability matters more than adding extra information. Use a strong headline, simple layout, and clear contrast so the board is easy to read from a distance.
A clear call to action helps turn attention into action. Tell people exactly what to do next, whether that is coming inside, ordering, booking, or following a direction.
The right board size supports the design. Choose A2, A1, or A0 based on your space, viewing distance, and how much information you need to display.
Would somebody understand your A-board before they had already walked past it? That is the first question we would ask when assessing any pavement sign. An A-board might look perfectly clear when you are standing directly in front of it, but that is not how most potential customers will experience it. They will see it briefly, from a distance, and while moving.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create an A-board that works for you, with clear messaging, practical design tips, and examples you can apply to your own business.
Let’s get started.
Why Can an A-Board Sign Help Increase Footfall?
An A-board works because it puts your message directly in the path of people who are already nearby. For businesses that rely on passing trade, that gives you an excellent opportunity to catch someone’s attention before they walk past your entrance.
A well-designed A-board sign can highlight a reason to stop, whether that is for a lunch offer, a new seasonal product, a walk-in appointment, or an upcoming event. Rather than expecting people to already know what your business offers, pavement signage can give them a quick, visible prompt at the point where they are deciding whether to keep walking or come inside.
A-board signs are useful for businesses such as:
Cafés and restaurants promoting menus, specials or opening times
Shops highlighting offers, new seasonal products or promotions
Salons advertising walk-in appointments or treatments
Bars and pubs promoting food, drinks or events
Events and venues directing visitors or promoting what is happening inside
Service-based businesses using pavement signage to make their location and services more obvious
The key is timing. Your sign needs to attract attention before someone has already passed the entrance. If the message is clear enough to understand at a glance, an A-board can turn ordinary foot traffic into potential customers.
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Promote offers, menus, events or services with weatherproof A-boards from Carrick Signs.
Features:
✓ Waterproof and weatherproof for year-round outdoor use
✓ Easy-change snap frames for regularly updated graphics
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✓ Full-colour printed graphic inserts included
Start With One Clear Objective for Your A-Board
Before you start thinking about colours, fonts or imagery, decide what you actually want your A-board to achieve. The most effective designs typically focus on one clear goal rather than trying to explain everything your business offers at once.
Whether your objective is to promote a special lunch offer, a new seasonal product, or highlight an upcoming event, having one clear goal will help you create an A-board that turns passers into customers.
What do you want your A-board to achieve?
Promote a specific offer or product.
Encourage more people to come inside.
Highlight an event or limited-time promotion
Direct customers towards your entrance or next step
How to Design an A-Board Sign That Gets Noticed
So you’ve chosen a clear objective for your A-board, but what about the design?
A good A-board sign needs to work quickly. People passing your business are unlikely to stop and study every detail, so the design should make the main message easy to understand within a few seconds.
The headline should stand out first, the offer should be easy to grasp, and the next step should be obvious. From there, you can use colour, imagery, and branding to make the board more distinctive without making it harder to read.
The following design principles will help you create an A-frame board that attracts attention without overwhelming the people you want to reach.
Lead With a Strong Headline
Your headline should be the first thing people notice, so make it the largest and most prominent element on your A-board. Keep it short enough to understand at a glance, especially as most people will be reading it while walking past.
Where possible, focus on the benefit, offer, or reason to stop rather than simply displaying your business name.
For example:
Weak: Welcome to Smith’s Café
Stronger: Coffee + Pastry £5 Until 11am
The second example immediately tells the customer what is available, what it costs, and when they can get it.
Create a Clear Visual Hierarchy
A strong A-board design should guide the reader through the information in the right order. We would usually structure it like this:
Headline
Offer or supporting message
Call to action
Branding
Avoid making every element the same size or giving everything equal visual weight. If the logo, offer, headline, and contact details are all competing for attention, the message becomes harder to process.
Use spacing to separate each part of the design and give the most important information room to stand out.
Make Your A Board Easy to Read From a Distance
People should be able to understand the main message before they reach the board. That means using large, simple typefaces and avoiding long paragraphs or excessive small print.
Strong contrast between the background and text is also important. Dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark background, will usually be easier to read than colours with similar tones.
Before printing your design, test it from several metres away. If you cannot quickly pick out the headline, offer and next step, the design may need simplifying.
Use Colour to Draw Attention, Not Create Clutter
Colour can help an A-frame board stand out, but too many colours can make the message harder to follow.
Use your brand colours where they work well, but prioritise contrast and readability. We would keep the overall palette fairly simple, then use one brighter or contrasting colour to highlight something important, such as:
A price
A special offer
A limited-time message
A call to action
This helps draw the eye towards the information you want people to notice first.
Use Images Only When They Add Something
Images can work particularly well on A-board signs for food, drinks, retail products, or events, but they should support the message rather than compete with it.
One strong product image is usually more effective than several smaller images squeezed into the same space. If an image does not help explain the offer or make it more appealing, it may be better to leave it out and give the text more room to breathe.
What Should You Put on an A-Board?
The best A-board signs tend to keep things simple. Rather than trying to explain your whole business, focus on the three things a passer-by needs to know:
Headline + Benefit/Offer + Call to Action
That gives people a reason to stop, tells them what is in it for them, and makes the next step clear.
Let’s take a look at some examples across different industries:
Business | Example Message |
|---|---|
Café | Fresh Coffee + Croissant £5 → Come In |
Restaurant | Lunch Menu From £12 → Served Until 3pm |
Retailer | 20% Off Today → Shop Inside |
Salon | Walk-In Appointments Available Today |
Pub | Happy Hour 4 pm–6 pm → This Way |
Event | Tickets Available Today → Entrance Ahead |
Tickets Available Today → Entrance Ahead
Specific messages usually work better than vague slogans because they give people something concrete to respond to. ‘Great food served here’ says very little, while ‘Lunch Menu From £12 Until 3 pm’ offers customers an offer worth taking.
Where it is genuine, urgency can make customers more likely to take action. Phrases such as ‘today’, ‘until 3 pm’ or ‘while stocks last’ can help create a reason to act now rather than walk past and come back later.
Give People a Clear Reason to Take the Next Step
Once your A-board has caught someone’s attention, it should make the next step obvious. A strong design should not leave people wondering what to do next, whether that is entering the shop, ordering inside, scanning a menu, or asking about an offer.
The clearer the action, the easier it is for someone to respond in the moment.
Include a Simple Call to Action
Keep your call to action short and directly connected to the message above it. For example:
Come In
Order Inside
Ask Us About Today’s Offer
Entrance This Way
Book Inside
Scan to View the Menu
If your entrance is set back, around a corner, or not immediately obvious, a simple directional arrow can also make a big difference. It removes uncertainty and helps turn interest into action.
Highlight What Makes the Offer Worth Stopping For
Your A-frame board should also give people a clear reason to act. Think about what is most likely to make the offer feel relevant or worthwhile to someone passing by.
That could be:
A clear price
A limited-time offer
An exclusive product or promotion
Convenience
Immediate availability
A new product or service
Free samples
Same-day or walk-in appointments
The strongest message is usually the one that answers the customer’s unspoken question: ‘Why should I stop here now?’
Choose the Right A-Frame Board for Your Design
Once you know what your sign needs to communicate, make sure the board itself gives the design enough room to work. The right size will depend on where the sign is being used, how far away people will see it from, and how much information you need to include.
Choose the Right Size for Your A-Frame Board Design
Available in A2, A1, and A0 sizes, our A-frame boards give you the space to create clear, eye-catching pavement signage for your business.
Discover more about our A-frame sizing here →
A2, A1 or A0: Which Size Should You Choose?
There is no single size that will suit every business. We would choose based on the amount of space available, typical viewing distance, and how much information the design needs to communicate.
Let’s take a look at what size would best suit your business needs:
Size | Best Suited To |
|---|---|
A2 | Smaller spaces, entrances, and locations where customers will view the board from relatively close by. |
A1 | A versatile option for most shopfronts, cafés, restaurants, and general pavement signage. |
A0 | Larger designs where greater visibility is needed, or people will be viewing the sign from further away. |
The more information you need to include, the more important it becomes to give the design enough space. Trying to fit a headline, offer, image, and call to action onto a board that is too small can make everything harder to read.
That does not mean bigger is always better. A compact A-frame board may be perfectly suitable outside a small entrance, while a larger A0 board can make more sense in an open area where it needs to compete for attention from further away.
Turn More Passers-By Into Customers with Durable A-Boards from Carrick Signs
The most effective A-board is one that communicates one clear, compelling message in just a few seconds.
By keeping your design simple, readable, and focused on a strong offer or benefit, you can give more passers-by a reason to stop, come inside, and engage with your business. With the right message, layout, and board size, your pavement signage can become a practical tool for turning everyday footfall into more customers.
Shop our A-boards from Carrick Signs and create signage that gets noticed →